Roi Valley: Sweet Sixteen
by Nathan S
Summary: A luckless teenage hedgehog attempts to free his brother from the depths of Hell.
1. Recognition

Alright, at long last, after figuring this all out, I will make a few statements. Yes, this is a story involving Titer's character, Halkon. Yes, it follows the same story as his, therefore causing these to intertwine. Yes, I have the permission of all of the author's (besides Sega for the non-original characters, of course :-p)… Yes, here are the credits…  
Halkon: Titer Bloodred  
Shade: Shadow-squall

Cosmic Interstate Idea: Cubed  
Eclipse: Cubed

Nova: Mogmaster  
  
Just so you know, here are my character's vitals.

Name: Roi Valley  
Nickname: Razor

Race: Hedgehog  
Age: 15

Coloration: White, w/ blue streaks in hair.

Eyes: Bluish-Grey

Religious? Yes, Christian

Height: 5'3"

Abilities: Paranormalist, 3rd Degree Blackbelt Jiu-Jitsu, Chaos Control, Good searcher, all-around nice person.

Backstory/Prologue: Razor's family was killed by Project Shadow on his 14th birthday, while he was at school. His family was from a long line of Chaos Emerald Mages, and they personally began teaching him on his 6th birthday, handing down the dark blue emerald to him. Around this time he began to pick up on his paranormalist abilities, and has since then become a great helper in the spirit world. He found his brother during that time, for his brother was in Purgatory at that time. Razor met another hedgehog named Nova during this year, who had some serious problems, (partially possessed). When Razor figured out how to exorcise this demon, it took his brother to Hell as collateral for Razor's intrusion, on his 15th birthday. Razor didn't even notice this for a good while, and as we join him now, he is still in the dark on this thought, let's look in.

*As Razor paced, he sighed… he felt a little lost. He looked at Sonic, and cleared his throat.*

Razor: I think I'm gonna have to bail on this scene for a while.

Sonic: ??? Why?

Razor: I don't know… I'll be back as soon as I figure out which way is up. But if you need help before then, just find me.

*Razor left then, taking every possession he owned with him in his backpack, but leaving his escrima stick, for he had no room to put it. The dark blue emerald, the ten books, and his backpack. That's about it. He had yet to scrounge together enough money to buy a new board, and he missed the sport dearly. He had only about $25, which was mostly coins and 1-spots he had found on the ground. He walked through the streets of the city, and wondered how far he was going to have to degrade himself to get some cash. It was beginning to get late, and Razor found a place against a building, and quickly fell asleep.*

~Next day~

*Razor awoke to see something tucked neatly into his closed left hand. He opened his hand, and saw a 50 dollar bill and a hand-written note.*

_Buy yourself something nice._

*This is all that the note said, and Razor looked around, trying to find somebody who may have given him such a handsome sum. He didn't find anybody, and smiled. He quickly made his way to a skate shop he saw on the corner. He made his way inside, and looked at the pre-assembled completes. $45-$95… Razor found something that he could afford, and it wasn't much… very much a beginner's deck; Veriflex deck, Veriflex trucks, Veriflex wheels, basic ABEC 3 bearings… nothing special, but a good deal at $50. As Razor left the skate shop, he noticed some skate videos on the rack; Zero's _Dying to Live, Flip's new _Sorry_ video, and even some 411VMs… Razor sighed.*_

Razor *thinking*: _Must rock to be one of the greats. Getting paid to do what you love…_

*Razor headed outside, and immediately stepped on his new board. He saw a staircase, and he smiled, veering over to it and Tailsliding down its rail.*

Razor *to self*: You never forget…

*Razor looked around, and noticed a skatepark nearby. It was strange, though, because the outdoor park was deserted, but it looked perfectly skateable. He went up to the park, which was fenced in, and noticed that there was a bus pulling up to the park. Razor shrugged, and hopped the fence.*

Razor: No way this place isn't open…

*Razor went almost immediately over to the halfpipe, and dropped in. He started small, since he was still getting used to the slow speed of the board. Gymnast plants, blunt stalls, frontside airs, kickflip to indys. Nothing too difficult. After he got used to the board, he decided to try something he saw a pro do a while back. What was it called? A Samba Flip? Yes! A Samba Flip; a kickflip to indy to fingerflip to indy if you want to be technical. Razor tried it out, and lost the board when he tried to fingerflip the board. He fell into the flatbed, the board sliding down as well, nearly doing its own trick on the other wall of the pipe. It then slid near to him, and he stopped it, stumbling to his feet, dusting himself off.*

Razor: That's harder than it looks…

*Razor climbed back to the top of the halfpipe, and looked out where he saw the bus coming in. It was just then rolling to a stop. Razor shrugged and dropped back in. He did a nosegrab on the first wall, and pulled himself into a Big FS Rodeo 540 on the second one. Then, he did a 540 Indy grab, followed by an Airwalk to fakie. He propped himself out of the halfpipe, onto the top, and looked out at the bus. Though it was too far away to see any detail, Razor saw some humans with skateboards coming from the bus. He also saw a couple of hedgehogs, a fox, and even what looked like a panther.*

Razor: Field trip or something? *he looked at the skatepark; it was massive, so he thought that he wouldn't get in their way, and dropped back in, shrugging. He took a few walls to get his air back up, and decided to go for his BS Rodeo 720. He wasn't certain if he was going to land it with the bearings he had, and he just barely managed to get that last half spin in. He did a nosegrab on the other side, and then again on the wall he just did. He looked out, and noticed that the group was pretty close, and the two hedgehogs, the fox, and some of the humans had already taken to the street course. Razor looked back, spotting his landing, and repeated the BS Rodeo 720, just for the hell of it. He landed it, and looked at his side. He noticed the panther and a couple of the humans looking at him. He propped out of the pipe and looked down*

Panther: Whoa… *looking at one of the humans* Hey Lasek, think you could do _that?_

Lasek: I don't know… Worth a shot, though!

*Razor heard the name, and got a closer look at the humans looking at him. The one that had been called Lasek was making his way up the halfpipe stairs, and it was on Razor's side. Razor looked over at the man, and his mouth was slightly agape.*

Razor: Lasek? As in… _Bucky_Lasek?

*He just smiled and nodded. Razor was about to say something, something very fan-boyish, but shut up as Bucky dropped in. He went on one wall, then the other, trying to build up some air. When he went for Razor's Rodeo 720, he managed the flip, but couldn't manage anything but a little beyond a 360 BS spin while flipping, and he slid out, falling down the transition of the pipe. Razor winced sympathetically as Bucky stumbled to his feet.*

Panther: You okay, man?

Bucky Lasek: Yeah… *Bucky looked up at Razor*… would you mind doing that again? 

*Razor nodded*

Another pro *at the street skaters*: Hey guys, check this out!

*Razor gulped. The fact that professionals, and the fact that that one sounded and looked just like Tony Hawk, were watching him made him nervous, but he was slightly surprised that he had a trick that couldn't already be done by many pros. He dropped in, and walled two times doing nosegrabs before popping into the trick. He almost slid out this time, barely managing the last 180. He shrugged off the fact that people were now commenting as he skated, and tailslid across the coping for a moment. He popped out on the next wall, and stood on top of the pipe.*

Razor: I'll get out of you guys' way. There a demo today or something?

Panther: Tomorrow, we're just getting a feel for this place.

Razor: I've been wondering why this place was so deserted.

Tony Hawk (?): Heh… yeah… *walked up to the top of the pipe. Razor was reassured by that point; that the person was in fact "The Hawk."*

Tony: What's your name?

Razor: My friends just call me Razor, but my real name is Roi Valley.

Tony: Cool nickname, how'd you get it?

Razor: I dunno, it just sort of stuck at school.

*Tony smiled, and dropped in. Razor noticed that the rest of the skaters that had originally been at the pipe were starting to head to other halfpipes in the place, and Razor went to one of the unoccupied ones left over. It wasn't exactly a halfpipe; it was a skate bowl. Razor dropped in, and started with another session. He wasn't trying to show off, he just had an itch for vert skating, and since he was out of the way of all the others, there was no reason to feel unwelcome. He stopped after a few moments, because he noticed that somebody looked as though they were waiting. Razor recognized the man quickly because of this; only one pro preferred the bowl; Rune Glifberg.*

Rune: You're pretty good… can I see your board?

Razor: Ummm… okay… *hands Rune his board* why?

*Rune looked at the board carefully*

Rune: Then you're better than I thought if you're riding those…

*Razor shrugged. He felt out of place, but was not compelled to leave. It felt weird to be pretty much hanging out with the best skateboarders in the world, but they were a little bit more complementary than what Razor was used to with the usual locals. Rune handed Razor his board, and Razor skated to another halfpipe. This one was only occupied by one other, and that one other was that panther that he had seen. The panther was pretty good, and Razor was perfectly content watching the panther doing Inverts and Kickflip Madonnas. Razor blinked, though, as he saw the panther do an amazing little combo trick. He looked at it, and he thought it was called a 360 Varial McTwist. After a few moments, the panther hopped out of the pipe, and looked at Razor, who was sitting, watching.*

Razor: No… no, I'm just watching. *pause* I'm not sure I know your name. I haven't seen a contest forever, though.

Panther: I'm Conseco Ortíz, and this is my first tour, so I don't blame you. *pause* You coming back tomorrow?

Razor: I don't know… got nothing better to do… It must rock… getting paid to do what you love…

Conseco: It is pretty cool, uhm, er…

Razor: Razor… or that's what people call me.

Conseco: Oh, Okay… Razor.

Razor: When's it start?

Conseco *smiling*: You'll probably want to be here by 3:30.

*Conseco dropped back in, and Razor looked at the skatepark… the demo tomorrow was going to be amazing. Rune Glifberg… Bucky Lasek, Bob Burnquist… Tony Hawk, Jamie Thomas, Andy Mac… those two hedgehogs were really good, as was that fox… and Conseco… Razor looked at the sky. Time had definitely gotten away from him, and he headed out of the skatepark, finding a home next to a nearby building. He slept, happy from a day of skating. The pros skated on, not leaving until about 9:00.*

~Demo Day~

*Razor woke up, and looked at the sky. He had slept pretty late for him; it looked as though it was about noon, or one. Razor yawned, and looked for some place that he might be able to get something to eat. He still had $25 left over from when he bought his board, and he decided on just getting a quick burger and soda; in order to make the $25 glide as far as it would go. After he ate, he started back through the town, heading to the skatepark, but stopping at other places on the way. When he got there, there was still pretty much nobody around. Not even the pros that came by the day before were there… but that was understandable to Razor… It only looked like it was two. Razor found a patch of sidewalk and started freestyling to pass the time. With no real place to go, skateboarding had become about all he did. Life was good even though he was broke. After about 5 minutes, the pros were there, and Razor decided to take a seat on his board and wait for the crowd to thicken. Razor guessed the time at about 3:30 when the crowd had really started to come in. By four o'clock, the demo had begun, and Razor had a great time watching these people. The demo went on for a few hours, and it was, in Razor's eyes, spectacular. At the end of the demo, Razor was the last one to get to the exit, but he noticed that a few new people were hanging around with Rune, Tony, and others while the crowd left.

Bob: Hey, Razor. Could you wait up?

*Razor turned and walked to the group of pros. The next people to talk were the ones he was unfamiliar with, and they seemed excited to see Razor*

Guy 1: Razor, is it? Bob told me about your moves, impressive stuff.

Razor: *pointing at his board* Nah, I've been skating like crap on this thing… no speed, you know?

Guy 2: Yeah, Rune told me that your speed wasn't the greatest.

Guy 3: *interrupting* But that Rodeo 720 Conseco told me about sounded smooth…

Guy 4: Yeah, Ian told me about that, too. Care to show us your stuff?

Razor: Umm… I guess…

*Razor started to pick up his board, but the second guy stopped him.*

Guy 2: Care to show us your stuff on this instead?

*When he said this, the second guy gave Razor the skateboard in his hand. It was a Flip, with Ricta wheels, Destructo trucks, and Black Bones ABEC Faster bearings. The board was obviously built for vert, and Razor raised an eyebrow.*

Razor: Sure, no problemo.

*Razor went to the halfpipe that he had been in the day before. The new board was so much like his old broken one that he had taken so long to replace. Fast, and light. Razor tried, right off the start, a double kickflip to indy. He nailed it, and went to the other side, pulling a 720 nosegrab. Riding out fakie, Razor did a switch blunt to fakie, and fell back to the pipe. He was cruising, and he noticed that the four guys seemed to be very focused on his run. Razor gulped, and did a frontside air, then another on the other side, picking up some speed.

Razor *thinking*: _I'm going for it!_

*Razor popped into the air, and flipped, while turning frontside, like a FS Rodeo 540. Razor finished the 540 and the flip, and threw in an extra 360 degree turn. This got the 4 guys practically jumping up and down*

Guy 1: Awesome!

Guy 2: Did he just do a FS Rodeo _9!?_

  
*Razor tried that Samba Flip again, and this time managed to keep the board under him. When he landed, though, he biffed it, hard, and slid down the pipe, the second guy's Flip board going flying into the opposite wall, sliding upside down to the flatbed. Razor stood up, and all 4 guys, along with Tony Hawk, were pretty much begging to talk to Razor in private, all 5 of them promising Razor a 'sweet deal.' Razor looked at Tony Hawk, then at the other 4. It suddenly hit him.*

Razor *excited*: You really think I'm good enough to be a pro!?  

Tony Hawk: Yeah man, you're _it._

*Razor looked at the second guy, and smiled*

Razor: Flip is one of my favorite brands, did you know that? So light and easy to get into the air.

*The Flip Team manager smiled*

  
Flip Team Manager: Why don't you take a walk with me.

Element Team Manager: Wait, our boards are light, and they're tough, I could

Razor *interrupting*: Hold it… you are fighting over me?

Tony Hawk: You are awesome, man, what did you expect?

Firm Team Manager: I think that you all need to stop pressuring him. Let him decide on his own. *to Razor* Ever skate a Firm Skateboard?

Razor: Yes, actually… pretty light… not the toughest things in the world, but…

World Industries Team Manager: What about our boards?

Razor: Damnit, your boards are all good! Umm… except Birdhouse…

Tony Hawk: Why do you say that?

Razor: Easiest damn things in the world to break… you make good wheels, though.

World Industries: Man, he just told you!!

Razor: I'm only fifteen, and here I'm getting swamped by a decision I never thought I'd have to make… imagine that... *sigh*… You know, out of all these boards… they are all so good… But Flip is one of my favorite brands… oh, and this board you gave me already? How did you know my favorite set up?

Flip Team Manager: Awesome! Walk with me while I tell you the 411.

*Razor walked along with the Flip Team Manager, who outlined a lot of what the contract he was offering stated. Razor listened intently, and enjoyed what he heard. The pay was pretty decent for a pro, he realized.*

Razor: Heh… I like this deal, where do I sign?

*The team manager handed him the contract, which was surprisingly brief. Only a page long. Razor read it, and found nothing to disagree about. The pay was… not too bad looking when you're broke. There was even a small clause pretty much saying that Razor got to finish the current tour with the group going, and Razor signed it, and the manager smiled.*

Manager: I thought you said your name was Razor…

Razor: No… no no… that's what my friends call me… my real name is written right there… 

Manager: Roi Valley… that rolls right off the tongue… Anyways, we leave tomorrow… oh… by the way, where are you staying?

Razor: Nowhere in particular… I barely had enough money to buy that cheap-o skateboard that I was skating on yesterday.

Manager: Oh… well… in that case, the bus is headed back to where we're staying, and we've got a free bed in one of the rooms if you want to just come back with us…

Razor: Awesome…

Manager: Oh, and you can keep that board.

Razor: Really? Thanks!

*Razor followed the Manager back to the bus, carrying his new Flip board with him. Razor put himself into one of the seats, just at random, and he looked out the window.*

Razor *under his breath*: I don't think this could have possibly happened any faster… *looked up, now thinking* _Hey, Dad, remember when you said that this sport was for slackers? Would you say that to any of these people's faces?..._

*Razor looked over, as the bus started moving, and noticed that one of the hedgehogs he saw skating street earlier had sat down next to him. His hair was a little long; his bangs came down over his eyes slightly. He was mostly red, and had a gray streak in his hair… his eyes were an indigo color. Razor smiled and looked back out the window.*

Skater hedgehog: Man… you were pretty awesome out there… That Rodeo 9… damn…

Razor: Ummm… thanks… what's your name?

Skater Hedgehog: Ian… and you?

Razor: Roi, but everybody calls me Razor. You were pretty awesome out there today yourself. First person in a while I saw do a flip out of a darkslide…

*Ian smiled, and Razor put his head against the back of the seat in front of him. He was happy.*

Ian: How old are you?

Razor: 15… u?

Ian: I just turned 16. You been skating for a while?

Razor: 8 years…

Ian: It shows…

Razor: Thanks.

*The bus stopped, and Razor headed without much additional conversation into his room to sleep. Long day on the bus ahead… heading to LA the last time he heard. Razor laid down and fell asleep without too much objection.* 

_*Razor was surrounded with black, and he felt completely bound, unable to move. He tried to peer through the darkness, but nothing… From the darkness, he heard a voice. His brother's voice.*_

_Brother: Razor. . . Help! Oh, God!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUG—_

*Razor's eyes snapped open, and he blinked a couple of times. The dream was odd… but Razor couldn't really finger what it was trying to say, except the thought that his brother was lying hurt somewhere… Razor shrugged it off, and went back to sleep*

*The next day, Razor found that he had overslept a little, and he hurriedly got a shower, drying off as fast as he could. When he got out to the bus, most of the group was waiting on him, but there were still a few waiting for him. Razor blushed slightly when he saw that his hair wasn't fully dry, and as the wolf and a few of the others came out, the group boarded the bus. Razor smiled as he got on the bus, and found a seat. Razor sat, and waited patiently for the bus to leave. As the bus pulled out, Razor calmly picked up one of his family's books on chaos control, starting to skim through what he had not learned yet, examining what he had to look forward to.*


	2. Pre Demo

Well… what should I say now? I've already made my disclaimers… Of course, I suppose you don't buy the fact of me making up half of the characters… but, yes, Ian, Conseco… anybody you've seen so far… (including Nagisoki if you're reading Titer's story.)… the skaters in general are all my creation, except, of course, Tony Hawk, Rune Glifburg, pretty much any of the humans. Anyways… enough talk, let's get back to the story.

*Razor started to put down the last book in the collection, almost in shock.*

Razor *thinking*: _There's no way…_

*Razor paused for a minute, then shook his head, reminding himself that doubt is the only thing that kept him from those things, for they all had been done before.*

???: What are you reading?

*Razor jumped, and looked up, seeing a very rugged-looking wolf looking back at him scornfully. Before Razor had a chance to answer, the wolf snatched the book from his hand and flipped through the pages. After a couple of pages, the wolf blinked, and looked at Razor as if he knew his deepest, darkest secret.*

Wolf: What is this, some kind of voodoo? You some voodoo child?

Razor: It is not voodoo… voodoo doesn't exist, can I just have my book back, please?

*Razor started to take his book, but the wolf pulled his arm back, removing the book from Razor's reach. The wolf had a very thick German accent, Razor realized.*

Razor *under his breath*: You don't want to play that game with me.

Wolf: You say somethin', _Rookie?_

Razor: You don't want to play that game with me.

Wolf: Oh? Why?

*Razor shrugged, and snatched at his book as fast as he could, ripping it out of the wolf's grip before he could react.*

Razor: I never caught your name.  
Wolf: That's because I didn't thr— wait, you don't know who I am?

Razor: Besides in serious need of psychological help, no.

Wolf: You're a little smart-ass, aren't you?

Razor: I like to consider myself quick-witted, yes.

Wolf: Never be alone with me, little man. *pause* You've really never seen me?  
Razor: No…

Wolf: So, you don't watch the X-Games much, do you? Last year I took the gold in street, Rooki—

Razor: Quit calling me rookie, I've been skateboarding for eight years, and that's getting on my nerves.

Wolf: I'll call you what I want to, Rookie, I'm the best street skater in the world as of 9 months ago. Remember the name Brach Steponovich, for that name will soon be the richest pro today.

Razor: Whatever makes you happy, I guess, Brach…

*At this, after a pause, Brach sat back down, and Razor shrugged, leaning against the window, kicking his feet out onto the seat, and falling asleep.*

*Razor was awakened when he felt the bus stop, and he looked up to see skyscrapers. The bus was slowing down near a hotel. It was still evening, but the group got off, heading into the Holiday Inn. They had already had a string of rooms reserved, and Razor walked into the place, picking up his backpack and skateboard on the way off the bus. He walked up to Tony, who looked as though he was in charge.*

Razor: Mr. Hawk?

Tony: *chuckles* Loosen up a little, kid. Just Tony… but what's up?

Razor: Okay, Tony… which room do you want me in?

Tony:  Just take a room, it doesn't matter…

*Razor nodded and headed into a room that looked as though it had an empty bed, and smiled as he saw Conseco putting down his stuff.*

Razor *thinking*: _Good to know I'm not alone with that Brach fellow._

*Razor picked his stuff back up after a few moments rest, and the tour group headed to the skatepark they would be performing at.*

Location: Los Angeles, CA, Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark

Time: 6:00 PM

*As Razor got off the bus, he couldn't believe the size of the skatepark. He could not, for the life of him, see the far end of the skatepark from the entrance, and this made Razor very happy. Razor went through the gate and hopped on his board, starting down the snakerun. Razor smiled as he navigated down the twisting area, and as he got to the bottom, he saw a quarterpipe, and he had a good deal of speed. Razor flew off the quarterpipe, and tried to do a Samba Flip once again. Razor got the board to spin correctly and get beneath him, but as he landed, he slid out, hitting his head on the transition of the quarterpipe. Razor groaned, and got out of the way as he saw all of the professional vert skaters start to do the same thing. He sat down on top of the pool edge that they were doing this in, and watched as each skater did their own trick. Tony Hawk attempted his 900, and fell on the landing, sliding out. He got out of the way just in time to allow Rune Glifberg up the wall, who attempted, and landed, a Kickflip Handflip. He rode off, and Bob Burnquist did his trademark Burntwist. He rode off, leaving Bucky Lasek open to do a 540 Heelflip Gan Flip. He landed, and it was Conseco who was next in line. Conseco rode up the transition, and did a very smooth 360 Varial McTwist in the air. He rode away, and a green hedgehog, whom Razor had not located the name to, came up the ramp and did a FS Rodeo 540. As he finished, he rode off to the same side as everyone else. Razor was casually playing around with some freestyle on his board when they came around, and he stopped as he noticed a couple of them start watching him. Razor stopped, and continued over to a halfpipe, which had a loop with a removable roof in it. Razor looked over at Bob Burnquist when he noticed that the roof was on hinges, and he climbed up the side of the roof.*

Razor: Hey Bob! *flips roof off, smiles*

Bob: No… no way…

Razor: Why not?

Bob: I did that once… I ain't doing that shit again…

Razor: *pause* Hey Tony, is this the pipe the vert demo is gonna be on?

Tony: Yep

Razor: Cool…

*Razor dropped into the pipe, getting a little air on the side without the loop, and headed near the loop, getting more air. The loop's roof was still missing.*

Bob: He's not gonna—

Rune: —Yeah… he's gonna…

*Razor got into the loop, and tried to do a frontside air over the gap. He caught his board in the edge of the loop, and tumbled down the other side of the loop.*

Razor: Ooooo-hoooooo… holy crap that hurt…

Bob: *amused* Are you okay?

Razor: Yeah…

Bob: See, that's why I don't want to try that again…

Razor: I can dig that…

*Razor got up, and walked off the crash, heading down to the street section of the park as he did so. As he got down there, he got on his board, and skated around, watching the different skaters tear the course up. He saw an opening on the course, and skated as fast as he could up the funbox, darksliding the rail on top of it. He flipped down, and did a bluntstall on a quarterpipe. As he rode down, he saw the wolf who referred to himself as Brach try to do a kickflip to bluntslide on another rail, and fall flat on his face.*

Brach: Shit! *to self* How did you miss that, Brach… that's fuckin' horrible…

Razor *trying to be helpful*: Stop leaning so far forward, you should be able to nail it if you let the board slide a little—

Brach: Shut up, Rookie.

Skater Fox: Lay off, Brach!

*Razor just shrugged, and continued to skate. After a good deal of skating, the group headed back to the bus, returning to the hotel.*


	3. Street Demo

Okay, I'm sorry for such a delay, I know I haven't posted a chapter forever, but I've been very busy, but, here we are, A new part in the story, I hope you all enjoy the demo, and I again apologize for inconvenience.

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_*It was dark again. There was little to no sound. All Razor could hear were far-off cries, followed by maniacal laughter. He could barely see. All he could do was hear, and as he walked, the cries got louder, and the laughter more sinister. He wondered if he was even moving, and as he looked down, his breathing intensified as he felt and saw a black stickiness start to envelop his legs. Razor tried to move, but could not, and as he fell, he sank, into what felt like a huge vat of tar. Razor only barely managed to cry out, and the substance flowed into his mouth, suffocating and bitter...*_

*Razor awoke with a jolt, and immediately felt grateful that he did not scream, even though he had wanted to. He squirmed a little beneath his covers, noticing it still dark out, and, with a troubled mind, tried to make sense of his dream.*

Razor *thinking*: _Why would I dream about falling into tar? That doesn't make sense. I couldn't see anything, maybe I was already in it? No, then why was I able to breathe? It was something, Razor, ignore it, there's nothing to worry about..._

*Thinking this, Razor went back to sleep.*

~The Next Day~

*Once again, Razor was one of the last ones out to the van, and they all headed over to the skatepark to give their demo.*

Location: Los Angeles, California: Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark

Time: 12:00 PM

*Razor came into the skatepark, and noticed that people were already finding seats, even though he was told earlier that the demo started at one; a full hour later. Razor noticed the halfpipe and the connecting fullpipe, but he knew that the vert demo was not until much later than the street demo, and followed the skaters down to the street course, where most of the people waited. Razor noticed that there were quite a few sets of stairs that headed down to the street course, and he smiled as he thought of all the stuff he might be able to do with it. As he got down to the area where the demo was, his smile grew as he saw a cordon keeping the observers out of the street 'course.' Razor got inside the area, and began to practice his freestyle, knowing that it was a good way to get himself going. He flipped up into a rail stand, doing a rail flip to another rail stand, flipping it down into an anti-casper, then to a casper, then casper flipped, and flipped out. As he landed, he started doing endovers, keeping his balance through them, then started walking the dog, just doing several different pivots on his board, making sure he was ready for the demo that would start in about an hour. He saved anything very difficult, that was not freestyle, not wanting to burn everything he had on the people who were there a little early, which was now quite a crowd. He knew he didn't look like he never did this before, because the others were doing the same.*

Location: Los Angeles: Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark: Street Course

Time: Showtime: 1:00 PM

*Razor smiled as he saw everybody collect at one quarterpipe, and got on top of the quarterpipe with them. Razor watched as a couple of them started going on the course, and almost instantly Razor headed over to where the cordon that lined up with the staircases was.*

Razor: Hey, guys… *heading under the cordon* you might want to clear a little right there.

*The people near him looked at each other for a moment, then separated as best as they could a narrow alley, giving Razor a place to skate up to the cordon. Razor smiled, thanked them, and headed up the staircases. As he got up the top one, he was confronted with a couple of skaters, pointing down at the street course, indicating that's where they needed to go. Razor turned around, and skated to the staircase, clearing the first set of stairs, and as he landed, he noticed that the ones he cleared away a little, were watching him, and started cheering, drawing more views. Razor just shrugged, and darkslid down the second staircase. He heard more cheers as he landed, and after a moment, did an impossible down the final staircase, turning as he landed to get lined up with the strip of land he had been given in order to get into the course. Nearly all eyes were on him as he ollied over the cordon, doing a one and a half flip over it, landing in a casper. He didn't slide very far, and he flipped out almost as soon as he landed. He gave a quick push off with his back foot, heading up one side of a ramp, quickly noticing that someone else was coming from the other side. Razor angled his ride up just a little away from the guy, and did a 180 kickflip over the funbox, while the other skater did a 360 flip to his left, the 360 flip being in better view of most of the audience. The audience cheered as they both landed, and Razor did a rock to fakie on the quarterpipe ahead of him, riding back up the ramp and doing a fakie kickflip underflip. He was disappointed to see that the person didn't do something in front of him again, and as he rode up the other quarterpipe, he popped out, looking up at the skater who had taken a break, it seemed.*

Razor: You didn't think I… meant to cut you off, do you?

Skater: No…

Razor: Okay…

*The conversation ended there, and it wasn't long, but Razor just had to know if the Skater felt that way. He said he didn't, and he sounded as though he meant it, so Razor didn't worry about it. Razor dropped back in, doing a 180 Blacksmith, a trick of his own invention involving doing a 180 into a darkslide, the darkslide sliding at a smith-like angle to the rail. He smiled as he rode away, hearing all sorts of cheers from the crowd. Feeling a bit in a testing mood, Razor got up into a handstand on his board, riding a little bit before flipping the board with his hands like a 360 flip, landing cleanly and riding off. Some of the crowd watched him, some watched others, but those that watched him were cheering him on. Razor stopped in a tail stop, pivoting around to face the crowd a little, and he began to wonder how many of them enjoyed freestyle. He flipped his board up into a pogo, wrapped around, and landed in a switch-foot pogo, doing a truck transfer. He let the board down into a truckstand, and did a spin there, afterwards falling into a rail stand. From the rail stand, he simply flipped out, and started to spacewalk his board away from his little piece of crowd that seemed to already like him so much. It struck him as odd that most of them in this section were hedgehogs, the other main species in the group, humans. Even if he wasn't the only hedgehog pro, the skaters were saying things that would suggest he was… and that he was doing a good job representing. Razor smiled as he skated away, taking a break on top of one of the quarterpipes, allowing the small section of people to divert their attention to other skaters. Besides, he was thirsty, and he knew there was a cooler of water up on top of the quarterpipe he went to. He enjoyed the water for a moment, and dropped in about 15 minutes later, when the skater he nearly ran into earlier came up. He stopped, and realized the fellow looked familiar.*  
  
Razor: Eric, right?

Skater: Yeah…

Razor: I thought you looked familiar… You kick, man.

*Eric just nodded, and Razor dropped down the quarterpipe, watching as a sort of follow the leader started to come together. Razor fell into it, in the back of the line, and followed the first person's trick, which was kind of hard seeing as all 16 skaters were participating except Eric, who was starting to join in behind Razor. Razor watched as the first guy did a 360 flip over a funbox, and watched as the next person did a Bigspin flip instead.*

Razor *thinking*: _Okay, just a trickline, that works too..._

*As Razor got up to the ramp, he did a 540 Flip, and as he landed, he heard some cheers from the section, and Razor couldn't help but laugh to himself.*

Razor *thinking*: _They are treating me like I'm already a legend or something._

*Razor chuckled, and noticed that the trickline was still heading up the quarter pipe, and as he went up it, he did a simple enough casper stall on the coping, and flipped down fakie. The line was going over the funbox again, this time following a grind pattern. Razor did a kickflip to blunt on the ledge on top of the funbox when it was his turn, and then he noticed that the group was starting to go back up on top of the quarterpipe. Razor smiled, and popped out, thinking nothing of it. There was no way the demo was already over. They had been there for about 2 hours. There was no way that was all to the street demo. Razor saw a couple of skaters start to drop back in, and he smiled as he remembered the ledge. He looked back at it, and noticed a ledge on top of the ledge. An ideal place to combo. Razor went up the funbox, did a 360 Flip, and did a nosemanual on the taller ledge, then flipped the board over to a darkslide on the smaller ledge, sliding it down. Razor slid across the coping of the quarterpipe, and accidentally slid off the edge. Not being unaccustomed to unexpected things, Razor just aligned himself, and landed cleanly, making it look like it was done on purpose. The demo continued in much this fashion for another hour or so, and afterwards, Razor found himself just hanging around the street course while the others signed autographs. After a moment, though, he started to walk away, and was stopped by a teenage hedgehog, that looked about his age, red-furred, with black streaks in his hair.*  
  
Hedgehog: Man, that was the greatest… you shred…

Razor: Thanks…

Hedgehog *brandishing a small notebook and pen*: Can I have your autograph?

Razor *taking pen and notebook, looking for a spot to put his name*: No problem.

*Razor found a spot to put his name, and a little extra room around it. He signed his name, and gave the book and pen back to someone who he would really classify as his peer, not really seeing the importance of his signature.*

Hedgehog: Hey, thanks man!

Razor: You coming back tomorrow?

Hedgehog: You bet I am…

Razor: Awesome…  
  
*Razor offered the red hedgehog a high five, and the hedgehog returned it. The skaters were starting to go towards the bus, and Razor began to follow.*

Razor: Later man… 

Hedgehog: Later!

*Razor got on the bus, and waited for it to pull away, heading back to the hotel.*


	4. A Bad Night

Alright… getting back into the swing of things… Before much else ado… I understand that I am using a lot of terms to describe tricks that those… not-too-action-sports savvy wouldn't know what I am talking about. I apologize for such inconvenience, but, you must understand that for me to describe each individual trick to you… how it's done, I mean… Wouldn't that annoy you even more? It would me… Sorry if the background is very long… Hey, some good news though… we're starting to get going! :-)  
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Location: LA, CA, Holiday Inn  
Time: 6:00 PM  
  
*Razor was heading up to his room, quite content from the day of skating. He couldn't believe that a teen that, to him, looked about thirteen, only two years younger than him, had come up to him and really treated him like a star.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Even though I've only been pro for... how long? 4 days?  
  
_*Razor chuckled at the thought, and as he was heading to his room, he saw for a second time the green hedgehog that seemed so shy. Razor went over to him, looking up slightly to meet his eyes.*  
  
Razor: Hey man… sup?  
Hedgehog: N—n—nothing…  
Razor: You didn't seem to be skating too much today…  
  
*The hedgehog's eyes flashed for a moment, though the guy still kept his introvert attitude. Razor noticed that the skater spoke with a fairly strong Japanese accent.*  
  
Hedgehog *shyly*: That's because I skate vert…  
Razor: Well, so do I… I haven't seen you tour or anything… ever… are you new to the sport like I am?  
Hedgehog: Kinda… 1 year…  
Razor: Oh…   
Hedgehog: You said your name was… Roi, right?  
Razor: Yeah… I never heard yours…  
Hedgehog: ….Nagisoki.  
Razor: Oh… well… nice runnin' into you, Nagisoki.  
  
*Razor walked away. He had that quickly ran out of things to say to Nagisoki… the guy was just so hard to talk to, it seemed. Razor headed into his room, heading immediately into the shower after dropping his skateboard and backpack near the door, and slipping off his shoes. After drying himself off, Razor headed out of the bathroom, and sat on his bed, trying to figure out the kind of money he had. He quickly found the $25 he had earlier, and noticed a nearby McDonald's. Razor slipped his shoes back on, took a few ones, and headed to the McDonald's, grabbing a Value Meal to go…  
Back in his room, he ate, sitting on his bed, joining Ian in watching a skate video the street skater had brought. A few hours later, Razor slipped beneath the covers of his bed, and let the sandman take him to sleep.*  
  
Location: Holiday Inn  
Time: 2:00 AM  
  
_*Razor felt ill, and still couldn't see. He could not motivate himself to stand up, for it felt as though he weighed several times more than he should. He could hear his brother still. Far-off cries begging for help, the song of a whip, and his brother again crying out for mercy, maniacal laughter the response. Razor suddenly began to feel as though the area around his body was... crawling? Yes, crawling on top of him. Whatever it was, it was thick, and its burden led Razor to believe that it was more dense than gold. Razor couldn't even get himself up onto his knees, and the material that seemed to surround him began to lace around him like a cobra, and before he could understand, he could taste it, a bitter taste, in his mouth. Razor spat, but as he did, the material seemed to cling to his lips, and it then forced its way down his throat. Before Razor knew what was happening, the burden had stopped, though he now felt even more ill. Razor tried to stand now, though, and found he could, though he felt... something... he didn't know exactly what it was, but it didn't feel right. Razor jumped, startled as he soon found himself suddenly able to see everything, clear as day, though the site he was met with didn't please him. Fire was all about him, and as he found himself able to see this, a sensation came across his arms... a very creeping tingly sensation. Razor looked at his arm, and found a cobra's venomous puncture right on his arm...*   
  
_*Razor's eyes snapped open, and he immediately sat up, knees to his head. He tried to figure out why he was having such… bizarre dreams. They didn't make any sense. He had not seen a snake for a while, he had no fear of the dark, and his brother… Razor's eyes widened.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _No... No... That can't be... Streak was a good man... No... He isn't...  
*Suddenly, it hit Razor...*  
  
~  
Location: Unknown  
Time: About 6 months ago  
  
EN: Back for more, are you, Razor? And, with your brother, how quaint!  
Razor: Cut the shit, EN, I won't let you take my friend!  
EN: It was so easy to kill you once, I am certain I can do it again.  
  
*Razor readied his chaos emerald, teleporting behind EN and delivering a crushing blow to the back of his head. EN stumbled forward for a moment, his red eyes flashing angrily. Well-timed, Razor summoned a small amount of energy from his emerald, sending EN flying into the wall behind him, and sticking him there. Razor thought carefully, and prayed for the final step to work.*  
  
Razor *spell-recital*: Black and white... And gray. Everything has its place, so return to yours, EN!  
  
*Razor looked quite relieved as a blast of white came from his emerald, enveloping the demon, and sending him crashing through the ground. Razor ran over to his friend, Nova, who was now lying on the ground. As he got over to him, Nova wearily looked up at Razor.*  
  
Nova: Where am I?  
Razor: Safety. Feels great, doesn't it?  
  
*Nova chuckled. Razor had long since allowed his brother's spirit to leave him, and as he turned around, his smile dropped as he saw EN, smiling.*  
  
EN: You kicked me out of your friend... fine... Your brother is making an excellent parting gift. *laughter*  
~  
  
_Location: Holiday Inn, present  
  
Razor *thinking*: _No... NO!!!!! The bastard did it! _*starting to cry, now out loud, softly.* It's my fault… he should have been with you, *looking up* not with me! Why did you leave him to me, I can't protect him… *chuckles* And now he's down there, and I have no way of bringing him back. Freakin' perfect.  
  
*Razor turned over in his bed, continuing to murmur such things, crying himself back to sleep.*


	5. Vert Demo

Hehe… No comment except to say that it is really hard to write vert demos :-p  
  
And, some of you who have been reading my main man Titer Bloodred's story about Halkon will realize that you will quickly begin to see some intertwining between my story and his. :-)  
  
Please, I could really use some other people's opinions on this story…  
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Location: LA, CA, Holiday Inn  
Time: 11:00 AM  
  
*The vert demo wasn't being held until a little later in the afternoon, so Razor found no real rush in getting ready. He waited around for a while, though nothing really was to happen between that time and when they needed to be at the skatepark, 3:00 PM. Razor took a little money and got himself something to eat at the nearby McDonald's again. It was really all he could afford to spare money for, really. After he finished eating, he sat in his room and watched ESPN2 for a while.*  
  
Location: Holiday Inn  
Time: 2:20 PM  
  
*Razor, catching the time, picked up his backpack and headed down to where the bus was parked. It would take about 15 minutes to get down to the skatepark, and he sort of expected at least one other person to be down there. As he got down to the bus, he almost turned around as he saw that the only one down there was Brach. Razor sighed, and walked down there with board in hand. Razor went down beside Brach, and remained standing, putting his board on the ground upside-down. Brach just ignored him, and Razor was grateful for the lack of attention. As the rest of the touring group came out, they all got on the bus, headed to the skatepark.*  
  
Location: Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark, LA.  
Time: 2:50 PM  
  
*Razor was suddenly sparked with curiosity as the bus pulled up to the skatepark, and he looked over at Conseco.*  
  
Razor: Hey Conseco, where do we go after this?  
*Conseco looked at Razor for a moment, chuckling.*  
Conseco: Nowhere, this is the last stop.  
Razor: Oh…  
  
*Razor got out of the bus, and headed over to the halfpipe. This time they didn't need as much time to get ready for the demo, mostly because not as many were skating. Razor mostly watched the other skaters in the halfpipe while freestyling on the top, and sometimes dropping in to do a stall or an invert.*  
  
Location: Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark  
Time: Showtime: 3:30 PM  
  
*Razor sighed, unsure of what would be done different that day. He scanned the crowd real quick, and noticed that, no doubt, the red hedgehog with the black streak in his hair was in the crowd, and his little, erm, "Cheering section" was back. Razor watched as Bucky Lasek dropped in, starting off everyone. Razor stood back, trying to figure out about what they were doing throughout this demo. Bucky Lasek did a kickflip to indy on the first wall, landed cleanly, and then did a melon over the roll-in on the ramp. As he got to the far wall again, and did a Heelflip 540 Ganflip, and on the wall with the roll-in, he did a FS Rodeo 540. On the far wall, he did a Heelflip FS Invert. As he came back, he came out of the halfpipe, and Rune Glifberg dropped in. Razor stopped for a moment, and recalled the tricks.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Okay, so each person does 5 tricks. Okay.  
  
_*Razor watched as Rune Glifberg finished his five tricks, and Tony Hawk dropped in, to several cheers from the crowd. Razor watched as Tony did a kickflip to indy on the far wall, then did a big nosegrab on the near wall, then another on the far wall, then a third on the close wall. Razor watched as Tony did a nice 900 on the far side, which got the crowd in an uproar. Razor smiled.*  
  
Razor *thinking: _Hate to show him up...  
_  
*Razor watched as Tony came out, and Nagisoki dropped in. Razor smiled; Nagisoki was a nimble fellow, doing a FS 540 straight off the roll-in, then turning around and doing a Heelflip 540 Ganflip over the roll-in. Nagisoki then did a vert kickflip to fakie, and rode up the roll-in, doing a fakie 360 flip on it. As he rode back up the far wall, he did a 720 Mute grab, getting quite inverted, and headed back up the side all the skaters were on, the crowd still roaring. Razor smiled as Bob dropped in, and he slowly, discreetly made his way to the side, watching the entire way whether or not someone else was thinking about heading out. He caught the eye of Conseco, who only signaled for him to go ahead. As Bob came out, Razor dropped in, and his little cheering section seemed to go a long way in supporting him. Razor went up the first side, doing a FS Rodeo 540 there. As he came back, he did a 540 Tailgrab, and smiled as he went back to the other side. As he got up into the air, he pulled through a 900, and as he landed, he got an uproar of cheers for the combination of the 540 Tailgrab and the 900, back to back. As he came up the next side, he lined himself up for a double heelflip, and as the board spun out, he grabbed the board, and stretched his arms straight out, into a perfectly tweaked Christ Air, pulling it back in just in time to make the landing. He got to the other side, and did a quick disaster on the lip, dropping in and coming back out on the other side, watching as Conseco dropped in. Razor knew one thing for sure; Conseco really loved technical tricks. In fact, the first thing he did was a double kickflip varial indy, a trick Razor often found himself barely making. Conseco, on the other hand, made it look easy. On the side the pros stood on, Conseco pulled a 360 Varial McTwist to follow up, and then on the far wall did a 360 Heelflip Madonna to Fakie. Coming back, Razor saw Conseco do a varial invert, switch. And, as if that wasn't enough, Conseco, while going back down into the pipe, did a quick fingerflip, riding away smoothly.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _The Rodney Mullen of Vert.  
  
_*Razor watched as Conseco pulled off his final trick; an inverted 540 mute grab, then came out of the pipe. Razor hardly watched Andy McDonald's 5 tricks, and instead headed over to the panther.*  
  
Razor: That was amazing, Conseco.  
Conseco: That? That wasn't much following you.  
Razor: Dude, that 360 Varial McTwist. I couldn't land that in a million years, and you made it look easy.  
Conseco: Yeah, well… A 900 after a 540… Tony can't even do that.  
  
*Razor's attention was drawn away as he saw Andy do a nosestall, and got off his board, getting immediately back on, ready to drop in. Razor soon figured out what was going on when Tony got on the edge, and the two dropped in. Razor watched as the legendary duo gave up a sample of their work. They got about 8 turns in the pipe, and Razor enjoyed each thing they did. Board transfers always struck Razor as a good way to get good props, and they seemed to do it all the time. Razor remembered actually pulling one off with one of his old skate pals, about a year ago, and turned to Conseco.*  
  
Razor: Is this just them that does this or are all 8 going to—  
Conseco: All 8… Why don't you drop in with me when the time comes?  
Razor: Why not?  
  
*Razor smiled as he looked back at the demo, and for the first time, he noticed someone in the crowd. The man was dressed in full army fatigues, and had on what appeared to Razor to be a visor. Though it was possible for the man to simply be posing, the way he conducted himself assured Razor of discipline comparable only to that of a military agent. Razor practically froze, for the agent looked as though he were looking right at him, even if Razor couldn't see his eyes. Razor kept his eyes locked on the man, watching any movement he might make. The man did not make any suspicious moves, and by the time Razor removed his eyes from the man, Conseco was moving to the pipe, and Razor looked over just in time to see him start to tap him on the shoulder. Razor dropped in with Conseco, and Razor could tell right off the bat that Conseco was preparing to go into the air, and Razor smiled, taking a slight angle up the vert ramp, doing a tailslide toward Conseco as he launched into the air, doing the tailslide underneath Conseco, who did a kickflip to indy. Razor dropped in just as Conseco landed, and pumped as hard as he could through the transition, picking up a little speed. Razor started to get ready for a big air trick, and Conseco acknowledged. Razor got a slight angle to Conseco, and as he left the halfpipe, doing a FS Rodeo 540, Conseco went up into a Gymnast Plant. As Razor landed, Conseco dropped back in. Razor and Conseco did a few more tricks before coming out of the halfpipe, and Bucky and Bob dropped in. This continued as such, afterwards 4 and eventually all 8 of the skaters dropped in at the same time, resulting in a great display of skating.*  
  
Location: Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark  
Time: 7:30 PM  
  
*The demo was completely over, and the skaters were starting to make their way to the bus. Razor and a couple of his pals he had made, one a red and silver hedgehog named Ian, the other a black and white fox named Chrys, stopped in front of the teen that had asked Razor for an autograph the day before.*  
  
Razor: I'll meet up with you guys on the bus…  
  
*The two nodded, and kept going. Razor looked back at the red and black hedgehog, and looked around for someone around that looked like they might be his parents. Finding none, Razor looked back at the hedgehog.*  
  
Razor: Hey man, where are your parents?  
  
*Razor saw a look of depression slowly wash over the teen's face, and he started choking back tears. Razor raised an eyebrow, and looked up into the hedgehog's eyes, for he was a little taller than Razor.*  
  
Razor *concerned*: What man, what happened?  
Hedgehog: My dad died… i-n a drive-by…  
Razor: Then, where's your mom?  
Hedgehog *trying to outrun his tears*: Shediedwhenshewashavingme…  
Razor: I'm sorry… um… what did you say your name was?  
Hedgehog: Sam Camron… but… everyone calls me Sparks.  
Razor: Ah… *thinking for a moment, noticing that Ian and Chrys had stayed nearby, and were motioning to him to bring Sam along.* Hey, we're just headed back to the hotel in the bus, going to have a little get-together when we get there, why don't you come along?  
  
*Razor smiled, seeing Sam's ears perk slightly, and he smiled, and nodded. Razor walked away, Sparks following.*  
  



	6. Roi Meets Halkon

Heh, Chapter 6… Took me longer than Titer to get to this scene, but there's good reason for that… what is it? I dunno…  
  
Hehe… Titer, come in here and read this… check what Razor's thinking ;-) LOL…  
  
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*Razor and his three friends sat near each other, Chrys in the same seat as him, Ian in the seat in front of him, and Sparks in the seat behind him. The green hedgehog named Nagisoki sat down beside Ian.  Razor relaxed in his seat, which was on the aisle, and he immediately tensed as he saw the man in military fatigues get on the bus. Razor looked around a little bit, and he noticed for a moment that Nagisoki had slunk down in his seat as well. Well, it wasn't fair to make any assumptions, for pretty much everyone on the bus did something to make them look guilty. Razor looked around, hoping that the agent wouldn't sit near him. As the bus began to pull out away from the crowd, the agent sat himself down, in a seat just across the aisle from Razor. Razor froze as the man started to talk.*  
  
Man: I've been watching you.  
  
*Razor cleared his throat nervously, not sure of what the man wanted from him. Unsure of what to do, Razor remained silent until Chrys, who was sitting by the window, nudged him.*  
  
Chrys *softly*: Go on Razor, talk to him!  
Razor *thinking*: _What do I have to say to him?  
  
_*Razor kept silent, and listened as the man began to speak.*  
  
Man: Two days ago, we at the Military Force got a distress call from Air Base 61. The call spoke of a group of hedgehogs causing trouble. I went in to check it out, and I found that all personnel were missing, but that all were murdered, thanks to a computer entry. It was also from this entry that I discovered that the same hedgehogs would be participating in the Demo, and pull off some 'killer' stunts. Now, I want to know who killed them. They were military personnel. And I am in charge of finding the murderers.  
  
Razor *thinking*: _How does this concern me you specist bastard? _*out loud* I've never been to Air Base 61.  
  
*The man paused for a minute, and Razor could only wonder what the man's eyes were doing behind his visor.*  
  
Man: I'd be feeling you would say that. Now, all this time, I've been watching you. Watching your speed and agility. The murders at the base were fast, furious, and somehow so professionally done that no single bullet was fired. Can you picture that?  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Yes I can, but you are accusing me of something that I am just now hearing about... _*out loud, interrupting* Excuse me, but I don't know your name.  
  
*Razor saw as the man remained emotionless, and then smiled so suddenly that it startled Razor.*  
  
Man: Name's Halkon Wergrenn. Call me Halkon.  
Razor *thinking, raising an eyebrow*: _Halkon? You sure your parents are human, cuz that's about the most messed-up name I've ever heard... *_Out Loud*  OK, did the entry in this computer say anything?  
Halkon: Something about the base being too close to a common Cosmic Interstate portal and how the murderers would have to kill everyone because they might find it.  
Razor *eyes widening*: The Cosmic Interstate?  
  
*Razor noticed the agent look around, noticing that he was attracting several stares from the riders. After a moment, Halkon turned to face him again.*  
  
Halkon: Yes, do you know about it?  
Razor *thinking*: _You have got to be kidding... That place has practically been my whole life since I was five... But who are the others? *sarcasm* Oh goody, here we go again, I get to play D-Cop again... *_Out loud* It's a long story, but, yes.  
  
*Halkon nodded, just as the bus began to stop, letting out some of the young amateur humans in the back. As they walked down the aisle, noticing Halkon, they hurriedly walked past him. Razor smirked slightly.*  
  
Razor: Not very popular, are you?  
*Halkon didn't seem to hear Razor's comment, for he asked another question in lieu of a response.  
Halkon: OK, tell me. Were you there? At the air base two days ago?  
Razor *truthfully*: No. I was here in LA.  
  
*Razor cringed slightly as he saw the man look at him, stone-faced and tense. Yes, tense, tight. He was tight like a tiger. Razor felt relieved when the man leaned back, beginning to relax.*  
  
Halkon: You tell the truth.  
Razor *thinking*: _Oh really? You actually believe me? After all, I am just a hedgehog! _*out loud* How did you know?  
  
*Halkon looked around a moment, then beckoned Razor closer. He leaned forward, listening carefully.*  
  
Halkon: I was running a state-of-the-art lie detector test on you as we spoke. You tell the truth.  
  
*Razor nodded, and sat back down, pretty much afraid to say anything, to anybody. As the bus stopped at the Holiday Inn, Razor was just starting to get up when he noticed Halkon already standing before him.*  
  
Halkon: Well, this is my stop.  
  
*Razor looked up, slightly surprised.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Great, I get to be subjected to more of this no doubt._  
  
*Razor stood up, heading to his room in the Holiday Inn, Sparks following.*  
  



	7. Party at the Holiday Inn

Boy… I can't believe how fast this is going… I'm almost to the good parts! Ha ha ha!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Holiday Inn; Outside Tony's Room  
Time: 8:30 PM  
  
*Razor and Sparks were the last two to arrive. As Razor started into the room, Sparks hesitated. Razor came back out of the doorway, and turned to Sparks, closing the door, noticing Spark's uneasiness.*  
  
Razor: What's the problem, Sam?  
Sparks: I— I dunno… It just… What if I don't know what to—  
Razor: Stop right there. If you don't know what to say just don't say anything. It's not like they're expecting you or anything.  
Sparks: And that's another thing, what if they don't like the idea of me coming in?  
Razor: Sparks, chill. You want to know the difference between you and most of the people in there?  
*Sparks looked at Razor awkwardly*  
Razor: Exactly… find one and I'll understand…  
Sparks: The fact that they are better than I'll ever hope to be?  
Razor: So? They aren't going to rub it in or anything if that's what you're thinking.  
Sparks: …  
Razor *shaking Sparks, friendly*: Loooooosen up!  
  
*This got Sparks to chuckle, and just as Razor was beginning to head into the room, he turned back.*  
  
Razor: Why do they call you Sparks, anyways?  
Sparks: I once grinded my trucks down to a point where they were so rough that they would spark if I tried to do anything with a grind. Why do they call you Razor?  
Razor *lying*: Because I ride my boards until the tail is sharper than a razor's edge. *chuckling* I once threatened to stab a kid with my skateboard as a joke. *pause* Wait, you never… managed to pull off one of those grinds, did you?  
Sparks: Yeah, actually. *chuckling* My friend took a picture of it for a laugh… wanna see it?  
Razor: Sure.  
  
*Sparks handed Razor the picture, and as Razor saw it, he chuckled, gave the picture back, and headed through the door.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _A classic case of Fan Boy Syndrome, fixed... I hope.  
  
_*Razor smiled as he headed into the room, and sat down on one of the beds. Razor saw Sparks sit on the same bed, and he shrugged, expecting him to sort of stay near anyway.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _He seemed like a shy one...  
_  
*There was a knock at the door, and Tony opened the door, revealing the pizza delivery man, to the cheers of most of the other skaters. Razor smiled, about ready to laugh.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Probably the best thing they've had all tour._  
  
*Razor walked out to the door and grabbed some of the cases of pop, Jamie getting the rest, and sat them under the table the pizza was on. Razor grabbed a can of Mountain Dew, and grabbed a couple slices of pizza before sitting back down. Razor sat the plate on the bed, and the can of pop between his legs, silently saying grace. As Razor finished, he picked up one of the slices and started to eat. Razor heard the door open again, and he looked over to see someone walk in with a few VCR tapes. One of the tapes were quickly popped in, and Razor soon found out what they were: tapes of all the demos done during the tour. Razor leaned back and enjoyed the demos. Sparks leaned over to him after the first few demos, asking where he was.*  
  
Razor: Today and yesterday were my first two demos.  
Sparks: Oh.  
  
*Razor returned his attention to the television, watching snippets of all of the others doing tricks, the person with the tapes announcing which demo it was at. Razor relaxed a little, kind of chuckling that he still had his board with him. A few hours later, they were on the third and final tape, and Razor watched with a little more interest, curious as to what tricks the cameraman caught him with. Razor smiled as he saw the demo over again, with a few snippets here and there of him, one of them being of one of his favorite tricks, the Darkslide. After all of the tapes, people immediately started talking again, until one of the two that had brought the videos called out "Suggestions?" Razor looked at him awkwardly, wondering what he meant by the question.*  
  
Tony: Since we're making it a video… needs music.  
Razor *thinking*: _Ooh, a video! Okay, I get this...  
_Cameraman: What did you have in mind?  
  
*Tony shrugged*  
  
Razor: *after a pause* Why not… "The Anthem" by Good Charlotte? That's good skate music.  
Sparks: Or… if I could give an opinion… "System" by Sug— I mean "Sugar" by System.  
  
*A couple people chuckled lightly, and as they chuckled, the wolf that seemed to loathe Razor so much broke the laughter a little.*  
  
Brach: "Feuer Frei!"  
Razor *thinking*: _Of course... yeah, sure, whatever... Song blows, but I'm not saying anything.  
_Ian: "By the Time I get to Arizona."  
Chrys: "Anarchy in the UK"  
Razor: "Bring me to Life" by Evanescence  
Elissa *half-joking*: "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne?  
  
*This got a lot of people laughing, and Razor heard Ian chime in again.*  
  
Ian: "Bubbles" by System  
Razor: "Freedom Fighter" by Creed  
Chrys: "Savoir Faire" by Rocket from the Crypt… And "Nobody's Listening" by Linkin Park.  
Conseco: Anything by Pantera  
Razor: "Poem" by Taproot.  
  
*Now, this sort of thing went on for several hours, and by the time the conversation died down and Razor left the room to go to his for the night, it was 1:00 AM. Razor still couldn't bear to not shower, and he did so, immediately afterwards falling asleep.*  
  
_*Razor looked through the darkness. There was nothing around him, it seemed, and the darkness seemed to lash out at him like an angry animal. Razor fought to break free of the anger, the hate, the despair that the darkness seemed to cause him, and he abruptly came to a wall. The wall had a door in it, and Razor was almost hesitant to open the door, for it was unlocked. Feeling he must, though, Razor opened the door, and was greeted with little more than fire. The blaze lashed out at him, singing his fur, and as he was taken aback, the darkness seemed to do the same, knocking him forward into the flame as the flame enveloped him.*  
  
_*Razor awoke with a start, and looked immediately toward the window. The new day was just beginning to break; about 5:30 AM. Razor turned over, and went back to sleep.*  
  
Location: Holiday Inn  
Time: 10:00  
  
*Razor got his things and headed down to the front desk to check out with the rest of the group, who was leaving the town on bus. Razor, having no place to go except back to where his friend Sonic kept a base, decided to head off alone. Before he left, though, the Flip Team Manager called him over to the bus, the manager already inside.*  
  
FTM: Razor, do you have a cell phone? I need the number so I can call you about things.  
Razor: I don't have a cell phone.  
  
*The team manager pulled back into the bus for a moment, and then leaned back out.*  
  
FTM: You do now, catch.  
  
*Razor caught it, and slowly walked away, keeping the cell phone in hand for a moment. Finally deciding to go back to Sonic's base, Razor concentrated on the emerald's energy in his backpack as he rounded a corner, vanishing in a white flash that would carry him to the base in Dallas.*


	8. The Cosmic Interstate

YAY!!! So close! :-) Heh… This turned out to become harder than I thought it would… recreating this plot from memory, I mean… ;-)   
  
Now may I present to all of you: Chapter 8: The Cosmic Interstate  
  
And please people, tell me what you think!!!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Hero Base, Dallas, TX.  
Time: 10:00 AM  
  
*Razor sighed as he sat on his skateboard outside of the base, leaning on one of its exterior walls. He tried to piece what the military agent had given him together.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Cosmic interstate. Hedgehogs. Speed and agility. No bullets. Me suspicious to him._  
  
*Razor punched the wall behind him in a slight amount of frustration.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _That doesn't make a lick of damn sense! Unless... Him... No... Not him, not him free... The last time I visited he seemed to be a supporting role... a defender... a perimeter security officer. Not a henchman. Besides, if he was out, that military man would have surely arrested me... whether or not that lie detector was on. *sigh* Great... _*looking up, out loud* You know what? Why not? I get a sweet, sweet gig… and… of course… why not? I get to balance this nice, respectable career, and on top of that, I get to play Atlas… *frustrated sigh* How nice! God, just tell me! Tell me when this chain of horribly inconvenient coincidences will cease! Wait, wait, I know… the day I die!  
  
*Razor lashed out at the wall again, and sat, head in knees, about ready to scream… yes, he had already yelled, but he just… he just wanted to scream. Just open his mouth, and go "AHHHHHHH!" Razor pulled out the emerald, his family heirloom, and looked at it, eventually closing his eyes as memories of his parents filtered their way into his mind. Nobody but him knew it, but that was the thing he used the emerald for most; to simply remind himself of his parents. And it wasn't anything that required magic, and just a few moments later, Razor was in tears, and he soon found himself looking back up at the sky.*  
  
Razor: Why?  
  
*And, like a freight train, Razor was struck with the image of Shadow, and Razor suddenly felt his blood set ablaze by the image. So hot was Razor in a matter of seconds, he could swear that if he looked in a mirror, the whites of his eyes would be red. Even though he knew that wasn't something that really happens, and soon after he heard a voice right in front of him. One he recognized instantly…*  
  
Sonic: Razor? What's wrong?  
Razor *thinking, shaking his head*: _The same old shit, Sonic, what else?  
  
*_Razor suddenly remembered the Cosmic Interstate, and he looked at Sonic, making his voice as composed as anybody.*  
  
Razor: Sonic… Have you seen yourself lately?  
Sonic: What?   
Razor: I mean… have you seen someone recently that looks… exactly like you, except for maybe their taste in clothing?  
  
*Razor chuckled as he saw the look on Sonic's face. He looked at Razor like he was absolutely insane… if not only for a moment.*  
  
Sonic: Whaaat?  
Razor: Nevermind…  
  
*Razor brought himself to his feet, and started to look for a way into the Cosmic Interstate. He had to know. He had to get a little bit of starting-up on himself. He had to find a little background information. And he shuddered as he realized where he was going to have to go to get that background information. Razor suddenly found himself facing a portal, conveniently located near the base. Razor heaved a sigh, and walked through the portal, board in one hand, emerald in the other, backpack on his back.*  
  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor walked up a small slope, leading him to pavement as he got to the top. Razor hopped on his board, and skated off over surreal landscapes, with all sorts of colors littering the sky and ground. The sky's colors swirled around quite avidly, and Razor often wondered if the lava-lamp sky was what those high on acid experienced in what was referred to in the Cosmic Interstate as the "Quantum Universe." The real world in Razor's eyes, if there was such a thing. Razor skated down the pavement, looking for a slope down into the dimension Polaris. Razor knew that it was straight ahead, more or less, it simply sat a good deal lower than the Quantum Universe, making the slope down a little longer, and if Razor's memory served him right, it even spiraled down a little. Razor saw the sign on the interstate, and it always made him chuckle how much the place was like an actual interstate. _Exit 500, Rinesinia Dimension_, one sign read, and Razor focused his attention forward just in time to see a sharp turn. Razor knew that he was headed on the correct direction, and there was a road continuing below him. Razor took a breath, and ollied over the barricade, falling down about 25 feet onto the other road. After Razor rode a little ways, he saw the road turn sharply right, and he followed it, not having another option at that time. Razor saw a slope up, that turned 180 degrees, and he rode up it, and chuckled bitterly as he soon found himself on the exact same road about 100 feet further down. The road apparently doubled on itself almost instantly. Razor turned right onto the road, continuing his journey to Polaris. As he got near, he suddenly remembered something, and concentrated on his emerald, his form soon becoming that of a 6' Bengal Tiger. Razor smiled at the extra muscle, and then concentrated on his emerald again, deepening his voice to a point that it sounds ominous.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Great, I'll fit right in... at least HE won't recognize me._  
  
*Razor soon found an exit sign. _Exit 657, Polaris Dimension._ Razor went through the exit, ollieing through the portal, appearing in Polaris.*  
  
Location: Polaris Dimension  
Time: About noontime on Polaris.  
  
*As Razor landed, he looked around, shuddering at the sight that laid before him, though he had seen it many times before. It was the scene of anarchy, with buildings burning to the ground, for there is no fire department, only organized arsonist groups. Though it was noontime, the sky was an ominous gray, as if ready to rain and thunder. Razor shook his head and did a crooked on a bench, just to look natural on his board. As he landed, he was nearly knocked off his board by something, but as he held his ground, it fell. As he looked back as he skated off, he saw a white hedgehog with blue streaks, fur mussed, wearing sunglasses. Razor thought quickly, trying to cover up the surprise he felt in coming across his double so soon.*  
  
Razor: Watch where you're goin', kook!  
  
*Razor knew that it wasn't his nature to say such things, that it really wasn't right… but he also knew that if he acted like he normally did he would have trouble getting out of the place alive, since they would then see right through his… nearly perfect disguise. Razor continued through Polaris, trying to find something else… anything else… that might explain some things. He knew one thing for certain; he did not want to have to deal with Evil Sonic… at least not yet. He skated through the distraught neighborhood, and eventually found himself grinding down a long staircase, only to go up another slope, and head back where he came. There was nothing. No sort of lead as to what was going on that made that fellow Halkon so suspicious. Nothing at all… Razor sighed, and slowly headed back to where he had come in. He knew one thing for sure… he was not going to stick around and wait for evidence. Razor sighed, exasperated, and returned to the area in which he came in from, finding the portal and skating through it.*  
  
Location: The Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor quickly found himself back on the road, down the path that would eventually lead him back to the Quantum Universe. He knew that, eventually, this military agent would need help. The problem was that Razor didn't know what kind of help he would need. Razor only guessed Polaris, thinking that if big problems were to happen, they'd happen from there, since the other 'low' dimensions usually stayed away from Quantum. Razor sighed, and hopped off his board, picking it up as he saw the military agent. He saw the two were facing away from him, and he snuck up to get a closer look at the hedgehog floating beside Halkon. As Razor got close, he restrained a gasp as he saw Nagisoki, inside some sort of holding chamber, unconscious. Razor suddenly smiled.*  
  
Razor *with a slight chuckle*: I guess it really _is the quiet ones…  
Halkon *chuckling, turning around*: Guess so…  
  
*Razor decided to try and get a little more information out of the agent.*  
  
Razor: Do you know of any others?  
Halkon *with slight effort*: Ummmm… there was a blue hedge—  
Razor *interrupting*: When you say blue, do you mean… navy blue, sky blue, or just 'blue' blue?  
Halkon *curious*: A kind of deep blue, why?  
Razor *softly, to self*: _Shit, Evil Sonic..._  
Halkon: Excuse me?  
Razor *shaking head*: Long story, and I don't have the time… Luck with you, sir…  
  
*Razor skated off, leaving Halkon more than a little confused. Razor continued on, back into the Quantum Universe, heading through a portal that ended up sticking him right back where he came from; Dallas. It was late when he got there… probably past Midnight. Razor collapsed onto his bed, wondering how Sparks was doing, when he suddenly heard Sparks' voice behind him.*  
  
Sparks: Maaaaan… what was that!? Where were you all day, man?  
Razor: What? How did you… how did you… you followed me? But how?  
Sparks: I saw this white flash and hopped through, and here I am…  
  
*Razor shook it off, and started back to sleep.*  
  
Sparks: Where were you?  
Razor: Polaris… don't ask… I'm too tired…  
  
*And with those words, Razor went to sleep.*_


	9. Appointments and Vilk

Whooooo… okay, let's see… I've got this chapter… and another… *sigh* and another… and another… and another… and another… :-p  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Location: Hero Base, Dallas, TX  
Time: 10:00 AM  
  
*Razor was awakened by his cell phone ringing, and he quickly answered it.*  
  
Razor: Hello? *it was his team manager*  
FTM: Hey, Razor… I made some calls around a few places, and Thrasher told me that they are needing some cover shots and a good story. Think you could do an interview?  
Razor: No problem, when?  
FTM: Two days from now… Is that okay?  
Razor: Lemme think… I've got nothing that day… no… yeah… I'm available that day.  
FTM: Alright, cool… meet them at 1:00 PM at the Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark.  
Razor: Okay, later man.  
FTM: Later.  
  
*Razor closed his phone, putting it in his backpack.*  
  
Sparks: So… what exactly happened to you yesterday?  
Razor: I was just on the Cosmic Interstate… looking for information.  
Sparks: The Cosmic what?  
Razor: The Cosmic Interstate… I can't really explain it… but… I guess I might show it to you sometime today…  
  
*Sparks just looked at him confusedly, and Razor headed off, to get something to eat. Razor brought back a few burgers to split between himself and Sparks, and they ate happily. Razor and him hung around for a long while, and it wasn't until 1:00 until Sparks looked Razor's way.*  
  
Sparks: Did you mean later like about now or later like evening?  
Razor *standing up*: Oh, heh… I forgot… sure, let's go…  
  
*Razor led Sparks around to the nearest portal. Razor stopped where the portal should be, and turned around to face Sparks.*  
  
Razor: Give it a minute…  
  
*After a little bit of wait, Sparks jumped as he saw the portal come up, and Razor looked back.*  
  
Razor: Let's go…  
  
*Razor looked back as he stepped through, and was glad to see Sparks hurriedly follow.*  
  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor smiled as he saw the expression that came across Sam's face.*  
  
Sparks: Whooo-hooaa… this place looks like—  
Razor: A highway on acid? I know…  
  
*This got Sparks to laugh, and Razor started to walk aimlessly throughout the Interstate, almost playing tour guide to Sparks.*  
  
Razor: I'm not exactly sure how old this thing is, but my guess is that it has been around since before our Universe was created, because some of the places along the way look quite a bit older. Like this one! *walking toward an exit sign that looked hand-written* Exit 98, the Carsinack Dimension. One of the first portals I ever came across. The place is relatively safe… but it is… very warm. Probably because their entire universe is coming together in a Great Collapse. It'll probably not even be around 100 years from now. *Coming up to the portal* Feeling daring?  
Sparks: Let's go!  
  
*Razor chuckled, and put on a pair of sunglasses he always kept on him. Sparks stopped*  
  
Sparks: Wait—wait—wait… is there going to be like a blinding light on the other side or something?  
Razor: Well… no… not blinding… but *stops self, taking off sunglasses, handing them to Sparks* I guess you should take them… you need them more than I, because I'm used to the light.  
  
*Sparks nervously put the sunglasses on, and Razor headed through the portal.*  
  
Location: Carsinack Dimension  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor blinked a couple of times, letting his eyes adjust, and Sparks looked around, then up.*  
  
Sparks: The sky looks like its white, what's the deal? Whoa, is that a moon?  
Razor: No, that would be another planet…  
Sparks: Freaky…  
  
*Razor stopped as he nearly ran smack into one of the natives, who looked human, though it had deep blue skin, and was a little rough, and thick.*  
  
Razor: Oh, excuse me, sir.  
Native: Zinke nossing ahv eet.   
  
*Razor nodded and continued on, and noticed that Sparks was chuckling.*  
  
Razor: What? What's so funny?  
Sparks: "Zinke nossing ahv eet." *starts laughing.*  
Razor: Hehe… I guess.  
  
*Razor turned around, feeling a little bit like headed somewhere else, because he was afraid that planet was about to crash into the other planets. Razor found another portal, and headed through, Sparks following.*  
  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor sighed, and looked back.*  
  
Razor: There are tons of dimensions that are even more different than that one was. There are dimensions completely underwater, and without ground, even. It's almost unbelieve— AUGH!  
  
*As he was interrupted, Razor was knocked to the ground by a hedgehog, mostly orange, coming through as if he were on fire. He wasn't, he just looked the part, and Razor started to stand up, and looked at the hedgehog as it started down a path. Razor tried to keep him in sight, but he stopped as he realized exactly where he was headed.*  
  
Razor: Polaris…   
  
*Razor turned, and noticed the military agent. He headed over to the man, and as he got to him, he looked up into his eyes.*  
  
Razor: Halkon, right?  
Halkon: Yes.  
Razor: What's up with the guy come blazing through here like he was on fire. *With a chuckle* He looked the part, too.  
Halkon: Vilk! Where'd he go!?  
Razor *slyly, pulling out his emerald*: Vilk, huh? *thinking* _That dude ran into the wrong person... literally...  
  
*With this, the emerald started to glow, and Razor ran the glowing emerald across the back of his calf, causing it to glow the same shade of blue that the emerald's glow was. He looked at Halkon, and immediately began to slow down his timestream in order to catch up with… Vilk.*  
  
Razor *accidentally overly bold*: Follow the trail, I'llgetyourman!  
  
*The last part sounded so quickly said to Halkon because the spell had completely run its course, and before he knew it, Razor was out of sight, leaving Sparks in the dust. A trail of blue was conveniently left, and Halkon and Sparks chased after him.*  
  
*Razor saw Vilk in sight, and he quickly whipped a second pair of sunglasses he had with him, heading right up beside Vilk and slowing down so that he was… well, walking, right beside Vilk, even though Vilk was sprinting. Razor looked casually back, and then looked at Vilk with what looked like a casual anger.*  
  
Razor: You brought the military down this path? Are you stupid!?  
Vilk: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, but I had to get away…  
Razor: Well guess what… *with this, Razor stuck his foot directly in Vilk's path, causing him to trip at full speed. Razor quickly bound the fellow to the ground, and with a chuckle removed the glasses, returning his time stream to normal.* You failed.  
  
*Razor watched as Vilk struggled to get up, a vain attempt, and then looked at Razor fiercely.*  
  
Vilk: What the fuck!?   
Razor: You aren't going anywhere, Vilk.  
Vilk: !? How the bloody Hell did you know my fuckin' name!?  
Razor: …  
Vilk: Let me go, damnit!!  
Razor *sarcastic*: Wow, could you make it any __more obvious you did something wrong?  
  
*Razor noticed that Halkon and Sparks were getting fairly close, and he chuckled as they got close enough for Vilk to see. Halkon looked over at Razor, obviously amused, and Vilk looked at the two of them.*  
  
Vilk *screaming*: Oh… so you work for the goddamned military!? Decided to fuckin' head me off and cage me like a motherfuckin' animal!?  
Razor *wearily*: Will you shut him up? I can't take the cussing. Besides, he's not making any sense.  
Vilk *screaming*: Fuck you!!!!!!  
  
*Razor watched as Halkon got out the same sort of restraining unit that he apprehended Nagisoki in. As Halkon put the restraining unit around Vilk, Razor removed the spell which pinned the fellow to the ground, and shortly after the unit was off the ground. Razor soon felt relieved from the atmosphere of vulgarity, and Razor soon noticed Halkon studying him, contemplating something. After a moment, Halkon spoke.*  
  
Halkon: What is, exactly, that emerald in your possession?  
Razor *half-joking, heaving a sigh*: Ready for a kinda long thought?  
Halkon: Yes.  
Razor: It's what's known as a Chaos Emerald. They possess an energy that many would find impossible. If you know how it works, it can be your best advantage, but if you don't, it could end your life just as easily. The Chaos Emerald is something that seems to possess its own life. For it to do the more complex stuff it asks of you, it must be cared for.  
Halkon: Wait, did you say that it seems to possess its own life?  
Razor: Yes sir. The emerald is a magical element; miracles can be worked with it, as can black displays. In the right hands, it's a great peacemaker, yet in the wrong hands, it's a weapon of mass destruction more powerful than most people could ever imagine.  
Halkon: How powerful?  
Razor *wearily*: I couldn't begin to describe it… but, to put it in at least some sort of context… it would be greater than the power of 100 hydrogen bombs, each being 50 megaton warheads.  
Halkon: Impossible!  
Sparks: Yeah, what he said.  
Razor *chuckling*: Only if you don't believe in it. I'm just glad that those in the Polaris Dimension have never laid hand upon one of these.  
Halkon: Polaris Dimension?  
Razor: Yeah, that's where Vilk was headed, and that's where Evil Sonic resides.  
Halkon: How do you know all of this?  
Razor: It's my family's legacy, sir. My family went through this interstate several times, trying to find every portal. I've been going in and out of this place ever since I was 5, as have I been practicing how to use the emerald. My family wrote the book on how to use these, or should I say books?  
Halkon: Excuse me?  
  
*With this, Razor brandished the first volume of the ten his family had written, showing it to the agent.*  
  
Razor: My family literally wrote this book, and 9 others, explained simply enough to teach yourself. And, I would like that back, please.  
  
*Halkon handed the book back to Razor. Razor remembered Vilk, and saw him still quite active.*  
  
Razor *with a slight chuckle*: I guess you should be going. Adieu.  
  
*Razor turned around and headed further down the Cosmic Interstate, looking for another portal that might interest Sparks.*_


	10. Mysin

The plot… she thickens… :-)  
  
Please R&R, people… please… I'm not just doing this for my health… even though I'll still keep going even if nobody ever reads it… :-( :-p  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor was walking along with Sparks, idle conversation between the two. Razor looked up at the signs on the Cosmic Interstate, and stopped as he saw one he hadn't seen before. _Exit 154, Mysin Dimension. Razor raised an eyebrow at the sign, and shrugged, heading off to the portal, he himself curious. He looked up at the sign which hung over one of Mysin's portals, and found it written in old English style writing. Razor looked back at Sparks, and started chuckling as he saw a perplexed look on his face.*  
  
Razor: I don't know what it means either…  
  
*Razor started through the portal, Sparks following.*  
  
Location: Mysin  
Time: About noontime in Mysin.  
  
*Razor looked around, and found himself on what looked like an extremely high cliff, which sat overlooking miles and miles of lush forest… jungle, really. Razor walked forward to the cliff's edge, heading toward an array of objects which sat somewhat close to the cliff's edge. Sparks followed, and as Razor got close enough to see the objects to be eggs; huge eggs that looked somewhat like dinosaur eggs, he frowned.*  
  
Razor: Sparks, I think you are going to want to run.  
Sparks: What?  
Razor: Run, because I know what's going to be behind me, and I really don't feel like turning around.  
  
*Sparks started to trot off, looking down from the cliff's edge. There were several places to grasp the rock, and Sparks dropped down. Razor's curiosity finally seemed to get the best of him, and he started looked behind him, jumping a mile as he saw the massive head of a dragon looking at him, head level to the ground. As soon as Razor looked behind him, the ground shook with a deep growl. Razor prayed that the dragon understood English, and he nervously started talking to the dragon, trying to calm it down.*  
  
Razor: I-I- d-did-d-n't t-t-touch y-y-you-your b-bab-babies…   
  
*Razor watched as the dragon walked… past him? No, can't really say past, but she… yeah, she, walked to the eggs, and Razor started to relax, very grateful that he didn't touch the eggs, even if he was made very nervous by being so close to something so large. Razor saw as the dragon turned its head to him, and it started to lay down in front of its nest, looking straight at Razor with slightly fierce eyes. Razor started to walk to one side of the cliff, and as he got to the cliff's edge, he looked back at the dragon, and quickly noticed a giant, dark red blur, and everything quickly went black.*  
  
_*Sparks saw as Razor fell down from the cliff, falling limply through the air. He looked down, and realized that the fall would be a great distance before Razor might hit. Sparks felt able to only watch as Razor fell, when something caught his eye. He looked over, and saw an ice blue dragon flying toward Razor. Sparks winced as the dragon got near Razor, expecting the worse, and he looked away. A few moments later, he felt the scaly hide against his back, and as he turned around, he saw that the ice blue dragon had Razor on his back, and soon after the dragon picked ___Sparks__ off the cliff with its claws, setting him on its back, next to Razor, flying down to the ground. As the dragon landed, it immediately laid down, allowing __Sparks_ to slide off his cold body. Razor, still unconscious, was moved off by the dragon, and laid on the ground. A unicorn, catching sight of them, trotted over, and leaned down to Razor's beaten, bruised, and slightly bloody body.*  
  
_*Razor awoke to see a horn inches from his stomach, where a large laceration was. Razor jumped, and started to pull away, when a hoof was gently pushed down on his chest, the unicorn looking down…*  
  
Unicorn: Rest, gov'nar.  
  
*Razor raised an eyebrow as the unicorn looked off in the area they had fallen from.*  
  
Unicorn: Bloody cliff…  
  
*Razor barely suppressed a chuckle, staying still as the unicorn leaned down to his wound, the horn glowing white and quickly after healing the laceration. Razor sat up as the unicorn removed his horn, and Razor started stroking his snout. Razor saw the ice blue dragon, and his heart stopped. He started to back up, and tripped over something. As he looked forward to see the object, he saw it to be the dragon's tail. The dragon looked over at him, and Razor shuddered, starting to back up. The dragon stood up, walking over to him. Razor shrunk back, wincing expectantly.*  
  
Dragon: Are you okay?  
  
*Razor looked up, and saw the dragon's head, and he soon saw the dragon push his snout into him gently, friendly. Razor nervously started stroking the dragon's snout.*  
  
Razor *mostly out of courtesy*: Wh-wh-what is y-y-your n-n-name?  
Dragon: Calm down Colonel Stuttah… *a pause* Name's Cisait…  
  
*Razor slowly got to his feet, and looked at the dragon. It didn't seem so frightening, and Razor soon found himself stroking its head again. Razor saw as Cisait pulled away slightly, and Razor stopped.*  
  
Cisait: What brings you around here? I haven't seen a thing like you here before…  
Razor: Well, I was just showing Sparks over there around the Cosmic Interstate, and I had never seen this portal before… thought I'd check it out…  
Cisait: So you are… an alien! Cool!  
  
*Razor suppressed a chuckle.*  
  
Razor: No, I'm a hedgehog.  
Cisait: What's your name?  
Razor: Roi…  
Cisait: That is a weird name…  
Razor: And that's Sam…  
Cisait: Even weirder— I thought you said his name was Sparks…  
Razor: That's his nickname.  
Cisait: Oh…  
Razor: Do you dragons generally live alone?  
Cisait: No… I just wanted to get away from my family today…  
  
*Razor stopped… it felt kind of odd hearing that from a dragon.*  
  
Cisait *half-mocking*: What about you, do you hedgehogs generally live in gay pairs?  
Razor: No… my family's just dead…  
Cisait: Oh…  
Razor: And my brother's somewhere he shouldn't be… I'm trying to get him back… *chuckle* too bad I have no idea where to begin…  
  
*The unicorn's ears perked, and he trotted over to Cisait, whispering something to him. Cisait whipped his head back.*  
  
Cisait: Oh yeah! The Patron Gems!  
Razor: The… Patron Gems?  
Cisait: Yeah, *lowering head* get on…  
  
*Razor looked at Sparks, who was already making a move to get onto Cisait, and Razor followed. As soon as they got on, Cisait bid the unicorn farewell, and took flight. As he flew, he spoke to Razor.*  
  
Cisait: I'm not sure how you might get a hold of them… I'm not even sure if they exist, but the fairies claim that they are real. I'll show you…  
  
*As Cisait said this, they were landing outside a cavern; a very, very large cavern.*  
  
Cisait: C'mon…  
  
*Razor took a deep breath, and slowly followed the dragon into the dark, damp, cold cavern.*_


	11. The Patron Gems

Disclaimer: I claim no credit for anything but my original characters in this story… Stryke, Jade, and Halkon, Vilk, and others that I will point out to you, are characters made by other people. I do not own Sega, either.  
  
Sorry, I just never got around to doing that any clearer… ;-)  
~~~~~~~~  
  
*Razor took only a few steps in before it was so dark that he couldn't see, and he quickly used one wall to guide himself. Cisait looked back after a little, his pale gold eyes penetrating the darkness. Razor managed to get through the cavern, and he quickly begins to see a blue light at the end. As he got into the room, he shivered. It was quite cold in there, though Cisait didn't seem to notice, rearing up onto his haunches to look through a high shelf, which was part of a massive bookcase in the room, which in itself was at least 500 yards wide and long, probably bigger. Razor saw as Cisait brought down a book that was quite a bit larger than Razor was used to… bigger than Razor, actually. Cisait put the book down in front of Razor, and flipped through the pages, lying down. Razor was made slightly nervous by the fact that he couldn't see over Cisait's thick wrists, and that he really had no way out… except straight ahead. Razor shook it off and looked down at the giant book.*  
  
Cisait: Here…  
  
*Razor scanned the pages, looking at the various drawings that looked back at him. There were nine, he realized, of these drawings of gems that all looked like some form of magic, for they all had energies inside them. The Jade of Justice, Agate of the Angels, Pearl of Peace, and the Garnet of Grace. Those first four made him smile slightly, and he carefully memorized each of their appearances.*  
  
Razor *thinking: _I might be able to use those..._  
  
*Razor read on, and his smile dropped as he saw the next four. The Opal of Oppression, Diamond of the Demons, Amethyst of Anarchy, and the Sapphire of Satan. Razor shuddered, trying to figure out the reason for those four. The final one was called the Ruby of Royalty, and Razor shook it all off. Razor remembered the first four, and looked up at Cisait.*  
  
Razor: Thank you… I think these will do the trick if I can find them… thank you…  
  
*Cisait closed the book, putting it back on the shelf. Razor just noticed that Sparks had followed them in. Razor looked at Cisait as he came back down, and chuckled slightly.*  
  
Razor: We should probably go… Later, Cisait…  
Cisait: Later.  
  
*Razor headed back out of the cavern, and looked about the cliff he was on, trying to find a way down. Razor noticed Cisait poke his head out from the cavern, and he looked over at Cisait.*  
  
Razor: You wouldn't mind if you… got us down from here?  
  
*Cisait chuckled, and shook his head, bringing his head to the ground so Razor and Sparks could get on his back. They climbed on, and before too long, they were back on the ground, in the jungle once again.*  
  
Razor: Thanks man… and… see you later…  
Cisait: Later man… be careful…  
  
*Razor and Sparks started to walk off, beginning their search for the Patron Gems, into the jungle.*  
  
Location: Mysin  
Time: Late Afternoon/Early Evening  
  
*They were in the forest, looking throughout the area, when Razor heard this small feminine voice a little to his left, running like a motorboat. He looked over, and saw no one, but he quickly became aware of a small white blur on a leaf. As Razor saw it, it seemed to see him, and flew up near his face.*  
  
Voice: HihowareyouI'mgoodwhat'syourname????  
  
*Razor took a breath to speak, but the small fairy continued.*  
  
Fairy: Myname'sAitayoulooklikeyou'relookingforsomethingwhatchalookin'forandyoustillhaven'ttoldmeyourname!  
Razor: I'm Roi—  
Aita: RoiyournameisRoiIlikethatnameanditseemstofityousowelleventhoughI'mnotsurewhatthenameRoimeansandwho'syourfriend?  
Razor: This is Sam—  
Aita: SamhisamI'mAitasoyouareRoi'sfriendhow'dyoutwomeet?  
Sparks: Razor… I mean, Roi—  
Aita: IsRazorlikeyournicknameorsomethingwhydidhejustcallyouRazorRoi?  
Razor: It's my nickname.  
Sparks: He's a professional skateboarder, and—  
Aita: Skateboarderwhat'saskateboarderareyouaskateboarderwhat'saskateboarderdo???  
Razor: I do tricks for people…  
Aita: YoumeanlikemagictricksIhavemagictricksyouwannaseeone???  
Razor: No, like—  
Sparks: Well what Razor does on a board, it's magic…  
Aita: Whatdoyoumeanisitmagicorisitnotyoutwoareconfusingmewhatkindoftricksdoyoudoforpeople???  
Razor: It has to do with, like, this board with wheels attached to it… and I do things that impress people on it…  
Aita: ArethereotherpeoplewhodothisorareyoujustafreakOIdon'tmeanitlikethatIjustmeanareyoualone???  
Razor: No, a lot of people… could you help me out with something?  
Aita: Ofcourseofcourseofcoursewhatdoyouneedtoknow?  
Razor: I'm looking for these… gemstones…  
Aita: Youmeanthepatrongems???  
Razor: Yeah! Where can I find them?  
Aita: OhwellyoucouldfindthemjustaboutanywhereI'mnotevensurewhereyoushouldevenbegintolookRazorbutifyouwanttoknowsomethingforsuretheyarenotallnearbysoyou'llbetravellingalongtimeIdoknowthatthereisatleastonenearby…  
Razor: Thank you… goodbye…  
Aita: Waitdon'tgoIdon'twannaseeyouhurtsoI'mcomingwithyoutherearealotofthingsthatyoudon'tknowaboutthisplace!!!  
Razor: Don't worry, I think I can defend myself…  
  
*Razor started off, leaving the obnoxious fairy behind. He looked through the foliage, and he saw another white blur. Razor, expecting the worst, went up to it, hoping to get better information from it. As he got near it, he realized that it was a male fairy this time, and he was polishing something, and taking a great effort to do so. As Razor got a close look, he realized it to be a pearl… and it had the grayish glow on the inside.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _The pearl of peace... wow... that one was easy... now to get it from the little guy... _  
  
*Razor spoke, softly to keep from startling the fairy.*  
  
Razor: Hello…  
  
*The fairy turned, and saw Razor.*  
  
Fairy: Oh, hello…  
Razor: What have you got there?  
Fairy: One of the loveliest pearls you've ever seen, isn't it?  
Razor: Yes… it is… and, I was wondering… what would it take for you to give me that pearl?  
Fairy: Tell me why you need such a pearl…  
Razor: Well… you might think I'm crazy, but I think that if I can get these specific gems, called the Patron Gems… I might stand a better chance for freeing my brother…  
Fairy: Where is your brother? I mean, if I may ask…  
Razor: He's in Hell, I—  
  
*At this, the fairy darted behind the pearl, and Razor saw it slowly roll to him.*  
  
Fairy *earnestly*: Then you need it! Take it, take it!  
  
*Razor chuckled, and picked it up, the fairy stopping as he did so. Razor put the pearl in his backpack carefully, so that he could easily find it again.*  
  
Razor: Thank you…  
Fairy: No problem… tell me how it turns out…  
  
*Razor nodded, and started to walk away before the fairy called after him.*  
  
Fairy: Sir, I think that there is another Patron Gem up in a cavern at the top of Mount Nyrisi!  
Razor: Where would that be?   
Fairy: Look behind you, it is the tallest mountain you see.  
  
*Razor saw the mountain, and started to walk toward it, but suddenly remembered the photo shoot he had to do the next day, which may have already come for all he knew. Razor found a portal out, and he and Sparks left the dimension, heading back to the Quantum Universe.*  
  



	12. The Thrasher Photo Shoot

Aita's one annoying broad, ain't she? :-p  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Los Angeles  
Time: 10:00 AM  
  
*Razor couldn't believe how fast the day was burnt on that, and he had a photo shoot that day… already… it was uncanny. Razor hopped on his board, and skated around, burning a little time. As he rolled away from a kickflip to crooked grind, he heard a familiar enough voice.*  
  
Aita: Whatisthisisthisaskateboardwhatdoyoudowiththisitsjustapieceofwoodwhat'sthebigdeal???  
  
*Razor stopped*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _You have got to be kidding me... she followed us???  
  
_*Razor sighed, and tried to find her. He soon felt something near his neck, and as he looked, he saw her again. Razor sighed again, and tried to continue with what felt to him as a bit of a warm-up, as Sparks followed along, laughing almost every time Aita started to speak.*  
  
Razor: People have a lot of fun watching that sort of thing…  
Aita: WhatsortofthingIdon'tunderstandwhatyoumeanwhatdoyoudoonapieceofwoodthatissomuchfuntowatch?  
Razor: Look down.  
  
*Razor flipped the board through a 360 flip, landing in a 5-0 on a bench, riding off.*  
  
Sparks: Awesome!  
Aita: WowhowdidyoudothatImeanhowdidyoumakethewoodthingycomeupwithyouareyoumagiclikeme???  
Razor: No, not reall—  
Aita: Thenhowdidyoudothattheboarddidn'tcomeuponitsownifyouaren'tmagichowdiditcomeup?  
Razor: Timing.  
Aita: Oh…  
  
*Razor was glad to see her calm down for a moment, and sit down on his shoulder. Razor did a handstand on his board, forgetting she was on his shoulder until he feels her fly straight into his quills. Razor flipped the board, landing in a rail stand, then flipping it down and skating off.*  
  
Aita: Whydidn'tyouwarnmethatyouweregoingtodothatIalmostfellontoyourboardandthatdidn'tlooklikefun!!!  
Razor: My bad…  
Aita: JustbecauseI'msmallyouignoremethatissotypical…  
Razor *thinking*: _Hard to ignore you, Aita, you never shut up... _*out loud* I'm sorry, but I'm not used to having a fairy on my shoulder while I'm skating…  
  
*Razor started to skate toward the skatepark, and quickly noticed something. There was a child, no older than ten, a human child, sitting on a park bench, crying. He was transparent, of course, so Razor already could guess one reason why he was crying, but he sat down beside the child. As soon as he sat down, the child clung to him, a tingling sensation sweeping over the areas he touched.*  
  
Razor: What's wrong, little guy?  
_Child Spirit: I'm scared... and I want my mommy!  
_Razor: Well where is she?  
_Child Spirit: I don't knoooooow...  
_Razor: Then I'll help you look for her, okay?  
Aita: RazorwhothehellareyoutalkingtoIdon'tseeanybodywhoissittingtheredoyouhaveanimaginaryfriendoristherefairieshereandtheyareevensmallerthanme???  
Razor: Shhh! I'll help you look for her, okay?  
  
*The child nodded, and Razor stood up, the child still clinging to him. How, Razor wasn't sure, but he found himself carrying the child, though there was no real weight to him. Razor stepped on his board, and looked around. Off in the distance, he saw the flaming wreckage of a car crash, and he skated toward it, in the hopes of the child's parents' souls still being there. As Razor arrived at the scene, he told the kid to stay put for a moment, and looked around as much as he could. Razor couldn't find the child's parents, or anybody who might look like them, outside of the wreckage. He knew that the bodies were in the car, but they were useless. So Razor found himself picking the 7-year-old spirit back up, and skating off down one of the near streets, Sparks trailing and Aita still in his quills. Razor turned to the child in his arms.*  
  
Razor: If you see them, tell me, okay?  
  
*He nodded, and Razor continued to search for his parents. He searched the entire area, finding nothing in the concrete jungle of LA. Razor sighed, feeling guilty and unable to help the child. He decided to search the little bit of green area inside of LA, and walked off through the parks.*  
  
Location: A green area in Los Angeles  
Time: 12:20 PM  
  
*Razor's eye caught something off in the distance of the park, something that looked like a white blur to him. It was pacing, it seemed, along with what Razor could see as two adult human spirits, one female and one male. Razor sighed with relief, and walked over to the trio, board in hand and the child walking alongside him. As soon as Razor got a little closer, he shied away from the white blur, instead addressing the humans with a staggered voice, trying to block the white blur from his view as he pushed the child forth.*  
  
Razor: E-e-e-excuse m-m-me… b-but d-d-does this k-k-kid belong to y-y-y-you?  
  
*Razor smiled as he saw the kid throw his arms around his mother. The scene was quickly interrupted.*  
  
Sparks: Man, who the _hell _are you talkin' to?  
Razor: I'll explain later.  
  
*As soon as Razor said this, he felt something touch his shoulder, which seemed to instantly give way to it in relaxation. The shoulder felt tingly in a good way, and Razor nervously looked over, and saw the white blurry figure he was trying to block out of his sight. Razor jumped, and immediately looked away.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _What did I do?  
_  
*The figure laughed, and spoke with a voice that declared power, to the point that Razor fell silent.*  
  
_Figure: Nothing worthy of feeling that way, Roi... But...  
  
_*At this, Razor felt what he knew to be a vision of an angel wrap its arms around him. Wings, too, the way it felt. Razor nervously and politely hugged the figure back.*  
  
_Figure: Thank you, Roi... for finding young Jacob and bringing him back to his parents.  
_Razor: I-i-i-i-it was n-n-n-n-no big d-d-d-d-deal, sir…  
  
*Razor gulped, and waited. The angel seemed to smile for a moment, before ascending with the family of three, vanishing into the vertical horizon. Razor played with the wheels on his board for a moment, and headed to the Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark.*  
  
Location: Tony Hawk Memorial Skatepark  
Time: 12:55 PM  
  
Sparks: So tell me Razor, who the hell were you talkin' to?  
Razor: A child, and then his parents, and then an angel if that's understandable.  
Sparks: An angel? Riiiiiiiight.  
Razor: Yes, and what, don't you believe me?  
Sparks: Of course not… why didn't_ I_ see this angel?  
Razor: Because it didn't want to be seen by you.  
Sparks: And it wanted to be seen by you… why?  
Razor: I guess to thank me…  
Sparks: For what?  
Razor: Helping the kid find his parents.  
Sparks: What kid!? There wasn't any kid!  
Razor: Maybe not through your eyes, because he wasn't in his body, but I still helped him find his family.  
Sparks *giving up*: Whatever you say, man…  
  
*Razor sat his board on the ground, and started messing with it for a little bit. It didn't take long for him to see a truck pull up near the entrance of the park, and two people to get out. One was carrying a pad of paper and a pencil, probably a columnist. The other was carrying a 35mm camera with a zoom lens. The one with the pencil and paper had on sunglasses, and he had the right idea; it was very bright outside. Razor saw them both, and looked over at them with a smile on his face.*  
  
Razor: Sup you guys?  
Cameraman: I'm guessing you would be Roi Valley?  
Razor: You're guessing right.  
Columnist: Alright, then let's get this show on the road.  
  
*Razor nodded, and the group of now five (though only Sparks and Razor knew who the fifth person was), headed into the skatepark. As they got inside, Razor looked around, and stopped when the Cameraman suddenly stopped.*  
  


Cameraman: You skate vert, right?  
Razor: I skate both, but they pay me to do vert, I guess…  
  
*The cameraman nodded, and the two headed off to the same halfpipe the demo was performed on, Razor and Sparks following.*  
  
Razor: …Aita, you might want to get out of my quills…  
Aita: WhatwhywhywouldIwanttogetoutofyourquillsI'mniceandwarmhere…  
Razor: Then go to Sam, because I'm going to be doing some stuff and I'll be upside down for most of it, okay?  
  
*Aita didn't say anything, but Razor saw the white dot go zooming into Sam's locks. Razor chuckled, the white dot a lot more visible in Sam's quills. Razor headed up the halfpipe, and the columnist was waiting up there for him.*  
  
Columnist: So, Roi, when did you start skating?  
Razor: Well, when I was six, I saw some of the older kids around where I live, you know? They were skateboarding, and I just saw them and thought "Hey, that looks like fun," so I went up to my dad and asked him if he could get me a skateboard. He said no, but I continued to prod him and my mother. It was a year before they finally broke down and let me ride.  
Columnist: Parents are like that, aren't they... The guy who called me said your nickname was Razor… how'd you get that nickname?  
Razor: Remember that board that my parents got me I was telling you about?  
Columnist: Yeah…  
Razor: Well, I had that thing for 3 years. Some of the people around the skate scene when I was 7, 8, 9, 10… they always called me Razortail because of the state of the backside of my board. After I finally got a new board, the tail fell off, but Razor stayed.  
  
*The columnist laughed, and signaled to Razor to drop in, the cameraman on the other side, ready to take pictures. Razor dropped in, and did a frontside air on the other side. Razor got a little better air on the wrong side, and then as he got up to the side the cameraman was on, he did a FS Rodeo 540, riding away and doing a rock to fakie and stopping himself on the columnist's side.*  
  
Razor: My guess is me and you aren't through, right?  
Columnist: No, I just want to see all you can do… after the shoot is when we'll finish.  
Razor: Oh…  
  
*Razor dropped back in, and did a Caballerial with a Stalefish grab. Razor did a big frontside air, and then did The 900, a flash going off beneath him. Razor did a 540 on the other side, and then on the side with the cameraman, did the FS Rodeo 900. The flash went off again, and Razor smiled as he landed smoothly. Such a pattern continued, with a small trick then a big trick, for about 20 minutes until…*  
  
Cameraman: Okay, that's enough, Roi.  
  
*Razor popped out of the pipe, landing beside the columnist, who tossed him a bottle of water Razor had brought with him.*  
  
Columnist: So, Razor, where were you born?  
Razor: Carlsbad California, but when I was 6 my family moved to DC.  
Columnist: DC? That's a new one… What's with you and that blue stone?  
Razor: Huh? *At that time, Razor noticed that he was playing around with his emerald, and he looked back at the Columnist.* My mother gave it to me… a couple years ago.  
Columnist: Ah, and what does she do?  
Razor: She used to be a lawyer…  
Columnist: Used to?  
Razor: Now she's resting with the angels… *Razor did a short sign of the cross over his body, trying to comfort himself.*  
Columnist: Sorry to hear that, when did she die?  
Razor: A little less than a year ago, along with the rest of my family.  
Columnist: What happened? If I may ask…  
Razor: They were killed…  
Columnist: I figured that much, I mean how were they killed?  
Razor: No, you don't understand, they were murdered.  
Columnist: Sorry to hear that. What have you been doing since their death?  
Razor: Well, I've tracked down the guy that killed them, along with a couple of other people who were after him that I now could consider my friends. Actually, I'm living with them as of right now…  
Columnist: I see… What was the first trick you ever learned?  
Razor: You change the subject a lot, you know that? *chuckle* Besides an ollie, the first trick I learned was a rail stand.  
Columnist: Do you still freestyle?  
Razor: Oh yeah… it's a lot of fun.  
Columnist: Big air or good combos?  
Razor: Big air is a lot of fun, but I'd have to say that good combos are what impress people.  
Columnist: Grind or stall?  
Razor: Grind, definitely.  
Columnist: Spins or Flips?  
Razor: Spins or Flips? That's a hard one… but why not both?  *chuckle* I'd have to say Flips.  
Columnist: What's your setup?  
Razor: Well, any Flip deck, 55 mm Ricta wheels, Destructo trucks, and Bones Black Bones bearings.  
Columnist: Built for speed…  
Razor: Yeah, all sorts of speed… not very heavy, either.  
  
*The interview began to wrap up, and Razor headed out of the skatepark, and into a hotel, Sparks and Aita following. Razor found a room at a good price, and checked in for the night.*_  
  
_


	13. A Strong Message

Hehe, just when you thought we were through w/ the skateboarding crap, I threw more at you, lol...   
  
You deserve money if you still follow what the story is really about at this point :-p   
.  
After that point, though, you no longer deserve money :-p  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
_*Razor was greeted with darkness about him. Off in the distance, he saw something. It was very much like a silhouette, and it looked kind of like the gates to a cemetery. Struck with remembrance, Razor began to head toward the silhouette, and as he got nearer, he got warmer. He didn't care, and soon broke into a sprint toward the ominous gates, and soon found himself on the other side of them, the smell of brimstone filling his nose. He proceeded onward, through what seemed to him to be deserted streets, empty hulls of buildings seemed to be the only sign of any past life around. A ghost town, it seemed... a ghost town in Hell. Razor still didn't feel alone, though, as he walked the scorched ground, the flames occasionally kissing his flesh, singing his fur and causing him pain. It seemed to laugh at him. Razor continued on, suddenly remembering his mission, breaking into a frantic search. He heard a cry. A soft, helpless cry. He knew it to be his brother, but he was amazed, for he never heard his brother sound like that before. Razor found the direction of his brother's voice, and headed toward it, into a building that didn't seem to hold effects of age upon it. Razor shuddered as he realized that it looked and felt well-kept. He walked inside, and ran up, feeling pulled that way by his brother's now-meek voice. As he got to the outside of the room he was certain his brother was inside, he felt a sudden tug back, and before he knew what was going on, he found a pair of knives in his shoulders, and heard malign laughter. He wouldn't look; the pain was so intense it drove him blind. Razor then felt a scaled hand reach around his neck; a hot, scaled hand.*  
  
_*Razor awoke with a jolt, and looked around the room. He realized then that he had screamed, and Sparks was looking over at him in the other bed, amused. Razor looked around the room; he could still feel the creature's grip around his gullet. The thought made Razor shudder, and he put his head to his knees, trying to calm himself. He knew he was trembling, and his heart was beating loud enough for all to hear. Razor started to lie back down, and was just starting to fall back asleep when he heard a deep, powerful… frightening voice.*  
  
_Voice: Don't try to alter my domain's reality, Roi... worse will happen.  
  
_*Razor's heart stopped. Not having an answer, Razor waited for the voice to speak again, though he really hoped it wouldn't. Razor was relieved when he never heard the voice again, and he slowly drifted back to sleep.*  
  
_Voice: Fortune lies with me...  
  
*Razor looked around, and saw himself back in the Hellish scene, now looking directly at a figure, black in its entirety. Even its eyes were black, not a dot of white in them to be found. Razor found himself no longer bound to a wall by daggers, though the wounds were still there. Razor felt the figure's hot arm curl around his shoulder, drawing him close. The other arm started stroking Razor's head... it seemed so comforting there, and Razor didn't have much hurry to leave until the same voice spoke down into his ear.*  
  
Voice: Walk with me.  
  
*It suddenly clicked with Razor, and he quickly pulled away, though the arm around his shoulder wouldn't let go. Razor tried to pull the arm off of him, and succeeded with such, and started to run away. He soon found himself not on the ground, but in the air, being lifted by one of his quills. Razor thrashed in vain, and soon found himself looking out across scorched landscape which twirled about him, and he soon landed upon the parched ground with a loud thud.*  
  
*_Again Razor jolted awake, and he sighed with frustration. The sigh was shaky, for he suddenly heard the voice again, this time more demanding*  
  
_Voice: Walk with me!  
_  
*Razor shook his head.*  
  
Razor *under his breath*: Never.  
  
*Razor checked the clock. It was 7:00 AM. He might as well stay awake. He felt a twinge in his soul, and it caused him great pain.*  
  
_Voice: Walk with me!  
_Razor *a little louder*: Never.  
  
*Razor took a shower, and went down to get something to eat. The voice continued to persist, this time in calm debate.*  
  
_Voice: What has God given you so great?  
_Razor: Life.  
_Voice: Please, he took it away just as quickly.  
_Razor: My family was murdered, by someone who used to do your bidding... now leave me be...  
_Voice: He keeps you in the way of what you desire.  
_Razor: No, you do, because I desire him.  
_Voice: What do you really want?  
_Razor: For you to leave me alone.  
_Voice: What do you really want?  
_Razor: My brother where he belongs... Justice, really...  
_Voice: Would you be willing to take it for trade?  
_  
*This thought hit Razor like a rubber bullet, and did nothing more than anger him greatly.*  
  
Razor: I am not going to pay ransom for a kidnapping! I will kidnap him back if I have to!  
*The voice laughed*  
_Voice: Of course you will...  
  
_*Silence now. It was all Razor heard, silence. He got what he wanted for breakfast, and got something for Sparks, heading back up to his room. Sparks woke up shortly after he got up there. Razor broke off a bit of his muffin and gave it to Aita, and the three ate. Razor stayed quiet, unsure of what damage he had just done to himself.*


	14. Return to Mysin

Me:*sigh*… I really thought this was going to be a hit...  
Razor: Maybe they're just waiting for it to be finished?  
Me: Maybe… Long way to go, people, you might as well find out what's going on… If you read it, you don't have to give me opinion, but please at least tell me you read it…  
:-p  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Los Angeles  
Time: 10:00 AM  
  
*Razor looked down an alley, and walked into it, Sparks and Aita following. After a few steps, Razor was faced with a portal, and he hopped through it, board in hand.*  
  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*The group went through the portal, and immediately Razor headed off for Mysin.*  
  
Aita: SowherearewegoingRazorwhyareweleavingsosoonalready?  
Razor: We're going back…  
Aita: Backwhyarewegoingbackareyoujustwantingtoditchmethereandleavemeallaloneagain?  
Razor: No… Mount Nyrisi…  
Aita: MountNyrisiwhataboutitwhyarewegoingtogouptothatplace.NoI'mnotgoinguptherenowaynuh-uh…  
Razor: Fine, stay back if that's how you feel…  
Aita: IsurewillIdon'twanttodealwiththethingupthereitdoesn'tlikevisitors…  
Razor: What is it?  
Aita: Idon'tknowIjustnothateverytimeIseesomethinggoupMountNyrisiIneverseeitcomebackdown!  
  
*Razor shrugged off the curiosity of what the animal might be as he was soon presented with the portal back into Mysin. Without a second thought, Razor hopped through, Sparks and Aita following.*  
  
Location: Mysin  
Time: Dusk  
  
*As Razor got through the portal, he immediately headed through one of the forests. He quickly found himself in the thick of a forest, in view of Mount Nyrisi. Razor continued on until he was too tired to continue, and he bedded down at what he could guess to be midnight on Mysin. It was odd to him, sometimes, how the time on some dimensions didn't follow the same pattern as the Quantum Dimensions, and that he would still be tired even if he just woke up about half an hour ago... Razor shrugged, and quickly fell asleep.*  
  
_*The atmosphere was dark, but he could now see fairly well. This time it didn't seem so bad... kind of peaceful. It looked like a normal forest, in the night time. Razor looked around, and started slowly to sit down at a tree to rest. As he lay, though, he suddenly felt something wrap around his leg. As he looked down, he saw what looked like a tree's root, and it seemed to be expanding...*  
  
_*Razor awoke with a gasp, and then looked around: day had already broken, but he suddenly noticed that he was having difficulty breathing. He looked down at his chest, and saw a massive scaled hide completely enveloping him. Razor looked around, in a slight panic, and quickly found several snake's heads looking down at him. Razor shuddered, and tried to shimmy his foot into contact with the emerald which lay on the ground. By the time he got a foot on his emerald, he was dizzy from lack of oxygen. Razor tried to clear his mind, hoping to scare the hydra off… somehow… Suddenly, it hit Razor, and he concentrated, feeling himself grow larger and larger. In a few moments, the emerald felt like nothing more than a speck of dust, and his head was now level with the hydra's several. The pressure was now not nearly as painful to Razor, and he snipped out at one of they hydra's necks, sinking sharpened teeth into it. Razor nearly gagged as he felt the warm blood bubble in his mouth. Razor pulled away, and the hydra only attempted to attack him again. Razor tore into the hydra's hide, ripping a large chunk of flesh from it. The hydra only then did decide to wander away. Razor sighed, picked up the now seemingly grain-of-sand sized emerald and concentrating upon it. Before too long, Razor was back to his normal self, wondering what happened to the piece of snake that he had torn from the hydra. Razor also noticed that his stomach seemed full to bursting. As it hit Razor, he bent over, and vomited. Sure enough, a large chunk of scaled flesh came up with his vomit, and Razor shuddered as he saw it. Razor looked at the emerald in his hand, then started off to Mount Nyrisi. It was not an extremely long journey to the base.*  
  
Location: Mount Nyrisi  
Time: Morning  
  
*Razor looked up the mountain, and started up the mountain. Aita seemed to get more and more nervous the farther up they got. Razor soon found himself looking into a cave. Razor pulled out the second book, sure that he saw something in it that might help him out, for it looked quite dark inside the cave. He soon found something, and he fingered his emerald, his eyes quickly taking on a bluish glow. With a sly smile, Razor turned back to look at Sparks, who jumped a mile when he saw Razor's eyes.*  
  
Sparks: D-d-d-dude, what did you do!?  
Razor: Just so I can see better, man, don't worry about it... keep Aita company while I check this cave out.  
  
*As Razor headed into the cave, Aita flew over to Sparks. Razor could see perfectly well in the cave because of the spell, and he turned the place over trying to find one of the patron gems. Razor found none in that cave, and headed out, disappointed. He kept the spell active, and continued up the mountain. It continued like this for four or five caves, and Razor shivered as he got to the sixth, which was high up on the cliff, and snow was beginning to cap the mountain. As he got to the opening of the cliff, he saw something deep red in a corner. Razor walked in a little further, and saw it to be the Garnet…*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Perfect!  
  
_*Razor started to come up on it, when he saw a red and orange coloration to his right. He looked at it, and saw what he saw as a giant phoenix. It didn't seem to notice him as it dove back around the corner. Razor peered carefully around to see a gigantic cerberus around the corner. Razor quickly noticed that this was what the phoenix was after, and Razor also noticed that the phoenix was acting defensive of something. Razor stepped forward, bringing his emerald out.*  
  
Razor: Need help?  
  
*Razor didn't really expect it to respond, and stopped when it did, though it spoke in the sense of telepathy, and its voice could be described in no other way but God-like.*  
  
Phoenix: _I need no help, I can handle him...  
_  
*Razor watched as the phoenix went back to fighting, and it soon swooped out back near Razor.*  
  
Phoenix: _If you really want to help, though, take the left-most head.  
  
_*Razor quickly picked out the head the phoenix referred to, and quickly found himself coming toward it. The head snipped down at Razor, though he dove out of the way, a blast of energy leaving his emerald, striking the cerberus around the eye. It whipped back, and snipped back down at him, the other two heads already occupied. The fight continued on for only a few seconds, and Razor soon found himself looking at the phoenix, which was simply flying off of the now-deceased animal. Razor breathed a sigh of relief, and started to head away. The phoenix flew alongside him for a spell, landing near the corner. Razor looked at the firebird for a second, and it was the first to break the silence.*  
  
Phoenix: _Thank you for your help. How could I repay you?  
_Razor *thinking*: _Perfect, I'm on his good side... *_Out loud* You see that gem right there? *Razor pointed at the Garnet of Grace*  
Phoenix: _It's yours.  
  
_*As Razor picked up the Garnet, he heard something, and looked over. He saw for the first time a small… something on the ground, and from it was emerging a new phoenix.*  
  
Phoenix *seemingly depressed*: _I finally leave this cursed mountain.  
_  
*Razor started to shrug it off and walk away, but the phoenix followed.*  
  
Phoenix: _I shall come with you.  
_Razor: What? Why?  
Phoenix: _I will come with you... If you have a problem with that I shall drop you off this mountain.  
_Razor: Okay, fine… um… what's your n—  
Phoenix: _I am Kai.  
_Razor: I'm Roi… my friends call me Razor.  
  
*Razor and the phoenix headed out of the cave, and Razor and Sparks started to hike down the mountain, Aita in Sparks' hair. Razor heard Kai caw behind him, and as he turned around, he saw Kai pretty much right behind him, his wing practically touching the ground.*  
  
Kai: _Get on, we'll get down faster.  
_  
*Razor got on, and Sparks looked at him, awestruck.*  
  
Sparks: Are you crazy?  
Razor *slyly*: I dunno, maybe.  
Kai: _You too, Red. Get on.  
_  
*Sparks started to shake his head, but Kai insisted, and Sparks nervously got onto Kai's back. Aita was still in Sparks' hair, and Razor could hear her nervously chattering. After a few moments of ascent, Razor's stomach suddenly hopped as Kai dove down. Razor clutched a fistful of the bird's skin, hanging on as they descended almost straight down, picking up speed that made Razor's eyes water. At the last second, Kai leveled out, and slowly landed on the ground. As Razor and Sparks hopped off, Razor looked confused.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Shouldn't my fur be on fire... or something?  
_  
*Razor shook it off, and headed through a portal, starting to head back to the Quantum Universe. Something he liked about Kai, the phoenix seemed very honest, and it sounded like, though it threatened, it wouldn't ever actually attack somebody. So Razor half-ignored the phoenix's presence as he started through the Dallas portal to check a few things. He motioned back at Sparks as he headed through to stay put, and turned to Kai as well.*  
  
Razor: Stay here if you would, I won't be too long…  
  
*Razor then found himself near the old hero base, in Dallas, alone.* 


	15. Dallas

Slowly and surely, lol…  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Dallas, TX  
Time: 5:00 PM  
*Razor checked his cell phone for any new messages left on his voice mail while he was gone. He didn't see any, and started to head back into the portal. He couldn't help himself, though, and skated off down a street. He saw a slope of grass, at the bottom there being a pathway with a fountain. Razor set himself up, and did a 540 Flip down the grassy gap, landing near the fountain. Razor turned just in time to miss the fountain, and he slowed down, sitting on it. He looked back at the gap, and chuckled as he saw a bunch of skaters now looking over the gap down at him, all of them cheering, most of them human. He saw one of the humans skate back a little bit, and the people turned to see him. Razor shook his head and got out of the way, soon after seeing one of the human skaters attempt to ollie the grassy gap. Razor shook his head again.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _He doesn't have enough speed, he's gonna wipe.  
_  
*And he did. The skateboard got caught on a concrete curb that lined the bottom of the hill, and the skater fell directly into the concrete lining the fountain, hitting his head on the bottom of the fountain's basin, which was filled with water. Razor looked over, and noticed the fellow wasn't moving. Razor ran over, and saw all the other skaters come down as well. Razor picked the skater's head out of the water, and pulled him off the fountain. The water was tinted slightly red where the skater hit his head, and as Razor put the skater on level ground, face up, he noticed that the skater's nose was bleeding. Razor tilted the skater's head to one side, and Razor soon saw a human teen next to him, and Razor looked over at her. He checked the human's pulse for a second, and was grateful to find one readily.*  
  
Razor: He should be okay, just give him room to breathe.  
  
*Razor saw the teen readily back up, and after a few moments of awkward silence, Razor heard a cough. The skater who tried the gap was waking up. The skater looked over at Razor, and then at the teenage girl.*  
  
Razor: You okay, man?  
Skater: Yeah… I… Yeah… I'm okay…  
  
*The skater sat up.*  
  
Skater: Whoa…  
Razor: What?  
Skater: The sky just went in a circle, like, really fast.  
  
*Razor pushed on the skater's chest, insisting that he lay back down.*  
  
Razor: Just stay down there for a little bit longer.  
  
*The skater nodded, and Razor stood up, hearing his phone ring as he did so. Razor answered.*  
  
Razor: Hello?  
FTM: Razor, I took my rounds again. 411VM is interested in doing a video that has all of the new pros. I got you a five-minute timeslot in the video if you want it.  
*Razor paused. Five minutes was not bad for a first video.*  
Razor: Sure, when are they going to shoot me, and where?  
FTM: I told them that you lived in Dallas, and they are going to send a videographer there. Where are you at right now?  
Razor: A fountain on Main Street, near a McDonald's.  
FTM: I think I know where you are talking about, and they said that's where he'll probably be waiting for you.  
Razor: Awesome.  
FTM: Later.  
Razor: Later.  
  
*Razor hung up, and the skater on the ground looked at him.*  
  
Skater: That explains a lot. I've never seen you before, though.  
Razor: Makes sense… I've been a pro for… about a week and a half… *laughs* I gotta go, later.  
  
*Razor walked off, and headed back to the portal to the Cosmic Interstate. He got there, and headed through the portal, back to the group.*  
  
Kai: _What kept you?  
_Razor: I saw somebody get knocked out, nothing big.  
  
*Kai nodded, and the group headed off down the Cosmic Interstate.*  
  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor was outside the portal to a dimension he knew: Pice. Without hesitating, he and his friends headed through the portal, soon finding themselves in a dimension that spoke of calm, though it also looked quite developed.*  
  
Location: Pice  
Time: 7:00 PM  
  
*Razor took only two or three steps before he felt something behind him. Kai looked at him amusedly, and Razor slowly turned around to see a leopard, giving him a hug. Razor chuckled, and hugged back.*  
  
Razor: Hello…  
Leopard: _Hello, Roi, who are your friends?  
_*Razor motioned to each of his friends as he spoke*: This is Sam, this is Kai, and *Razor shook one of Sam's quills, revealing the fairy.* This is Aita.  
  
*Aita waved, and the leopard had yet to let go of Razor. Razor looked at her perplexedly.*  
  
Leopard: _I'm sorry, I just... can't believe I'm so near a Valley.  
_  
*Razor chuckled.*  
  
Leopard: _Where's your family, Roi?_  
Razor: .........Deceased.  
  
*The news hit the leopard hard, and she hugged him tighter.*  
  
Leopard: _Oh, Roi, I'm so sorry! When did this happen?  
_Razor: Almost a year ago.  
Sparks: Excuse me, but what the hell did I miss?  
Razor: Nothing really.  
Leopard: _Are you staying here long?  
_Razor: Spending the night, actually, where's the nearest hotel?  
  
*The leopard gave Razor directions happily, and the group headed off toward the hotel.*


	16. Roi Meets Sephrinia

Location: Pice  
Time: 7:15 PM  
  
*Razor was near the hotel that he was given directions to, and as he got near, he saw an orange hedgehog outside the hotel, pacing. She seemed worried about something. Razor shrugged, and the group headed up to the hotel. As they got near, the hedgehog noticed them, and her color changed to a deep purple. She ran up to Razor, the color seeming to spread into an aura around her.*  
  
Hedgehog: _Roi!? Wow, I haven't heard of you being back through here in a couple years!  
_Razor: …Umm… Hi…  
Hedgehog: _So where are you headed?  
_Razor: I'm… checking in… Why?  
  
*The hedgehog didn't respond, and instead darted inside the inn that Razor planned on staying at. Razor shrugged and headed in, Sparks and Aita following, Kai flying into an alleyway. At the front desk was another hedgehog, much older and composed. His fur was multi-colored: blues, black, white, orange, and a few colors that Razor couldn't quite put a finger on. The hedgehog that had greeted Razor at the door was right beside him, the purple fur and glow matching her eyes.*  
  
Male Hedgehog: _Checking in, Mr. Valley?_  
Razor: Yes sir.  
Male Hedgehog: _I wouldn't happen to be able to convince you to stay at our house over this hotel… rather than in the hotel, could I?_  
Razor: Excuse me?  
Female Hedgehog: _Would you? It would be an honor if you and your friends stayed with us.  
_  
*Razor looked awkwardly around.*  
  
Female Hedgehog: _I'm sorry, my name's Sephrinia, and this is my dad, Ganette.  
_Razor: Nice meeting you both, but… I don't want to be a burd—  
Ganette: _Nonsense, you're a guest! Sephrinia, why don't you take Roi and his friends up to our home, I'll be up as soon as Sesois arrives.  
_  
*Sephrinia nodded, and Razor soon found himself following her to an elevator. Sam stopped him near the elevator, pointing back. As Razor turned, his heart jumped as he saw an enormous... well, it looked like a cobra, but it had arms, and golden-colored scales. Razor tried to ignore the fellow, and Sparks changed the subject.*  
  
Sam *softly*: What is up, dude, I mean, she really seems to like you, but you two have never met.  
Razor: My family used to do a lot of things here.  
Sephrinia: _Used to, what... you aren't... this is the last time you're coming?  
_  
*As she said this, her coloration turned back to orange, and her eyes were filled with concern as she stepped into the elevator.*  
  
Razor: No, it's… just, I'm the only one ever returning.  
Sephrinia: _Why?  
_Razor: Because I'm the only one alive to do so.  
  
*Sephrinia's color suddenly flushed out, and her fur was suddenly an intense blue.*  
  
Sephrinia: _I'm so sorry... When... when did this happen?  
_Razor: Almost a year ago.  
  
*The elevator doors opened, and Razor was greeted with a quaint house. The first thing Razor noticed was a staircase, and he sighed a little in relief, half-hoping Sephrinia was an only child.*  
  
Razor: Are you sure, Sephrinia? I don't want to be putting anybody out…  
Sephrinia: _No, you won't be... we have three guest bedrooms. None of them are taken.   
_  
*Razor breathed a sigh of relief. As he headed in, he saw who he guessed to be Sephrinia's mother, working in the kitchen. Her fur was a reddish-purple. Not fuchsia, not maroon, but a different, sort of midway-between shade. She looked over at Sephrinia and Razor, and smiled. Her shade switched to a welcoming pale yellow.*  
  
Mother: _Dinner will be ready in about half an hour, Roi. And, who's your friend?  
_Razor: This is Sam.  
Mother: _Hello Sam._  
Sam: Umm, hi.  
  
*The mother must have noticed Aita in Sam's quills, because she continued.*  
  
Mother: _What is that in your hair?  
_Razor: Oh, that? That's just Aita.  
Mother: _Aita?  
_  
*At this, Aita darted from Sam's hair, landing on Sephrinia's shoulder, then darting again towards the mother.*  
  
Aita: I'mAitawhat'syournamehowareyoutodayI'mfineareyoufineandyoustillhaven'ttoldmeyourname!  
Mother: _I'm... Ammesyn, slow down, you're going to hurt your tongue talking that fast.  
_Aita: Ammesyn? AmmesynIlikethatnameitsveryprettyanditissofittingofyou.  
Ammesyn *to Razor*: _Does she always talk like this?  
_   
*As Ammesyn said this, a twinkle of amusement came into her eyes.*  
  
Razor: Yes, and it's quite a lot of fun to try to fall asle—  
  
*Laughter interrupted Razor, both Sephrinia and Ammesyn laughing.*  
  
Ammesyn: _I bet it is.  
  
_*At this, Ganette came into the room, and started chuckling.*  
  
Ganette: _What's so funny?  
_Razor: Nothing, nothing really, sir, you would have had to be here.  
  
*Razor suddenly remembered that he had his board in his grip, and he excused himself to put it down somewhere. He decided to put it down, for the time, up against a wall that seemed to get no traffic. It was in the living room, and he saw Ganette, Sam, and Sephrinia take a seat. Sephrinia sat on the couch, Ganette in a recliner, and Sam in a leather chair. Razor stood up, and sat next to Sephrinia on the couch. Sephrinia was silent for a moment, then looked at him.*  
  
Sephrinia: _How did they die?  
_Razor: Excuse me?  
Sephrinia: _Your family, how did they die?  
_Ganette: _His family died? I'm sorry, Roi.  
_Razor: Thank you. And, they were murdered…  
  
*Razor pulled out his emerald, and sighed.*  
  
Razor: Ironically, by one of these.  
Sephrinia: _Oh, God... They were killed? I can't believe it...  
_Ganette: _When did this happen?_

Sephrinia: _He said about a year ago.  
_  
*The two fell silent, and Sam looked over at Razor. He seemed quizzical.*   
  
Sparks: Did you see who killed your parents?  
Razor: Not really, when I came in, it left in a black and red blur. I know who it was, but I am trying to be forgiving.  
Sparks *jokingly*: A black and red blur. Heh, wasn't me!  
Razor *chuckling*: Other way, dude.  
Sparks: I know.  
  
*Another pause, something caught Ganette's eye.*  
  
Ganette: _So, you skateboard, do you Roi?  
_Razor: Yes sir, I do.  
Ganette: _Forgive me if I'm rude, but, without your family, how are you going to buy new boards and such. There was a little while where Sephrinia skateboarded. I understand how often you need to replace that stuff.  
_Razor: I'm sponsored, so I don't have to pay for it.  
Sephrinia *fur turning purple: _You mean you skate professionally? You must be pretty amazing at it.  
_Razor: Eh, I'm okay at—  
Sparks: You got that right, Sephrinia, he's da bomb!  
  
*Razor blushed slightly.*  
  
Razor: Come on, I'm no better than Conseco, or Bucky or Bob.  
Sparks: Razor, four words: Frontside. Rodeo. Nine. Hundred.  
Sephrinia: _Frontside Rodeo 900?  
_Razor: Every pro needs a signature trick.  
Sephrinia: _A backflip with a 900 rotation? That's insane!  
  
*_Razor's redness intensified. Ammesyn poked her head out from the kitchen.*  
  
Ammesyn: _Dinner is ready.  
  
_*Everybody stood up, heading to a table in a room behind the kitchen. Razor's jaw nearly dropped when he saw the meal that lay before them. With prime rib, cheesy potatoes, broccoli casserole, green beans, corn on the cob, peas, and a recently iced 4-layer cake on a countertop in the kitchen, it was quite a banquet. It didn't help that Razor's last home-cooked meal was almost an entire year ago. The smell of it all was enough to make Razor high. As everybody sat down, Razor waited patiently for somebody to lead in saying grace. The father did, and after the small prayer, Everything was passed around, part by part. Razor took an average helping of everything brought his way, and one cob of corn, eating happily. He chuckled slightly as he saw Aita salvage a pea from Sam's plate.*  
  
Ganette: _So, Roi, you're a professional skateboarder?  
_Razor: Yes sir.  
Ganette: _Is Sam there a pro?  
_Sparks: Oh, no sir, not even close.  
Razor: Not even close? Dude, you could probably get street.  
  
*Sparks shrugged*  
  
Ganette: _How does it pay?  
_Razor: Not much more than you'd expect, but you get a lot of free stuff.   
  
*Razor brought out his cell phone, and chuckled as he looked at it.*  
  
Razor: To think, I never have to pay a single phone bill for this thing.  
Ganette: _You're sponsors must like you.  
_Razor: Guess so.  
  
*After they finished dinner, the mother brought forth the cake, which was a chocolate cake, made from scratch, down to the buttermilk icing which was spread generously on top of it. She cut the cake and distributed it, and Razor accepted a slice gratefully, as did Sparks. Aita flew over to Razor's plate as she saw the cake on top of it. Razor pulled his plate away, and she tugged at one of his fingers angrily. Razor laughed, and cut a small amount of the cake off, turning that part of the plate toward Aita. Getting the hint, she sat right beside the small part, and took a chunk out of it that seemed large to her, though it was miniscule to Razor. Razor picked the rest of the slice up, and popped it into his mouth. After they were finished with dessert, everybody but Ammesyn headed into the living room. Razor stopped before he got far, and turned around.*  
  
Razor: Would you like some help with the dishes?   
Ammesyn: _Thank you, Roi._  
  
*Razor joined Ammesyn in cleaning the table, and working on the dishes. They didn't have much to say to each other, and an hour or two later, Razor came out of the kitchen. Ganette, Sparks, and Sephrinia seemed to have retired, and Ammesyn soon led Razor to his room. As he got there, he turned around.*  
  
Razor: Excuse me, but where is your bathroom?  
  
*Ammesyn pointed to one of the doors on the second floor, and Razor thanked her, using its facilities. As he finished, he headed to his room, heading beneath the cozy covers of the bed, curling tightly, soon after falling asleep.*


	17. Roi Meets Stryke

Location: Sephrinia's house  
Time: 7:00 AM  
  
*Razor awakened, and got ready to leave. He slipped his shoes on, grabbed his backpack, and headed downstairs. He started to grab his skateboard. Sam was sitting on the couch, and he started to stand. Sephrinia was in a chair, and she looked over at him.*  
  
Sephrinia: _Leaving so soon?_  
Razor: Yeah, I've got a lot to find, a lot to do, and… not too much time to do it in.  
Sephrinia *flushing purple*: _What are you looking for? What quest are you on this time, Roi?  
_Razor: I've got these two gems in my possession, and I need to find two more. One will be a jade; the other will be an agate. I'm trying to free my brother… a demon kidnapped his soul.  
Ammesyn: _My God!  
_Razor: I just hope I won't be too late…  
Ammesyn: _Too late? He's already dead, isn't he?  
_Razor: I mean… I guess… *shrugs* I just want him out of there fast, okay?  
Ammesyn: *nods* _Alright, I guess you should be on your way then. Be careful.  
_Razor: As cautious as a mouse in a cat's presence.  
Sephrinia: _Can I come along? Please?  
_Razor: I wouldn't mind having you along, except I don't want to see you get hurt. I'm actually not even sure if I should let Sam stay with me. But if your parents think you can fend for yourself, I have no problem.  
Ammesyn: _Absolutely not.  
_Sephrinia *flushing silver*: _But Mooooom!  
_Ammesyn: _But nothing, you are staying here. You don't know what's out there, it's too dangerous.  
_Sephrinia: _But he'll be with me!  
_Ammesyn: _Did you hear what he said? He doesn't want to see you hurt—  
_Sephrinia: _Which is why he'd protect me!  
_Ammesyn: _You can't rely on him all the time; you can't expect him to be your bodyguard!  
_Sephrinia: _But...  
_Ammesyn: _End of discussion.  
_  
*Sephrinia's color turned to an intense red, and she stormed away, upstairs. Razor chuckled slightly.*  
  
Razor: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—  
Ammesyn: _Don't be sorry, Razor, its no big deal.  
_Razor: Hope she doesn't stay red at you for too long.  
Ammesyn: _Yeah, me— you picked up on that pretty fast, Roi.  
_Razor: Well, it was pretty obvious. Every color I saw her wearing she was acting different. As I was coming in, she was orange, and she was pacing… she looked worried. I'm not sure where that connection fits, but… Anyways, she saw me, and her color went to purple, and she started talking fast, kind of giggly. I didn't know I was liked **_that_** much around here.  
  
*Ammesyn laughed.*  
  
Razor: Well, I should be going, now, goodbye.  
Ammesyn: _Goodbye, Razor.  
_  
*Razor, Sparks, and Aita got onto the elevator, riding down to the first floor.*  
  
Location: Rugal Inn, 1st Floor  
Time: 7:30 AM  
  
*The doors opened and Razor saw a couple of rats 'yelling' angrily at Sesois, who was blocking the front door.*  
  
Sesois: _As soon as you pay I will let you out.  
_Male Rat: _The Hell! We've already paid!  
_  
*Sesois shook his head.*  
  
Female Rat: _We have places to go, Stoneblood, let us through!  
_  
*Razor suddenly heard a rasping hiss break the air, a sound actually reaching his ears this time, and Razor shuddered, then stepped up, coming between the two rats, and one very angry snake.*  
  
Razor: What do they owe you?  
Sesois: _$30.  
_  
*Razor dug in his backpack, and pulled out $30, taken from the $120 he got from being in the demos. Sesois counted the money, and slid away from the door. The two rats headed out, and a hedgehog hurriedly came in. He seemed familiar to Razor, black-furred with a red ear. Though for a moment Razor couldn't put his finger on it.*  
  
Hedgehog: Sir, somebody is sneaking out of the hotel through their window.  
  
*Sesois started to move, and Razor sighed, pulling out another $30 and handing it to Sesois. Sesois then stood still. Suddenly, it hit Razor, who that fellow was that just dropped that word.*  
  
Razor: Drake?  
  
*Razor headed outside, and quickly found Drake, catching him in the act of stealing a lion's wallet. Drake pocketed it nonchalantly, and Razor headed up to him.*  
  
Razor: Drake?  
Drake: Actually, I go by Stryke now… Roi.  
  
*Razor's eye suddenly caught a female leopard, purple with aqua-colored spots, standing right next to him.*  
  
Razor: And who is this?  
Leopard: _I'm Jade.  
_Razor: Hello. Hey, Stryke, what's up, man? Where'd you disappear to so long ago?  
Stryke: I ran away, my family was killed.  
Razor: That is freakin' odd. My family died almost a year ago… they were killed.  
  
*A pause*  
  
Razor: Why did you steal that man's wallet?  
Stryke: Hey, a guy's gotta get money somehow.  
Razor: They're called jobs, Stryke.  
Stryke: This _is_ a job, to me.  
Razor: But you didn't work for that money… he did.  
Stryke: In Diablo not many people truly earn their money.  
Razor: You weren't born in Diablo if my memory serves me correctly, and I feel sorry for anyone who_ is_ born there... bunch of psychopaths and covetists.  
Stryke: Oh yeah I was born in the Quantum Universe, same as you. La De Dah. Diablo may be full of thieves and shit but it's _the only home I've grown to know.  
Razor: Do you think that gives you any more right to steal?  
Stryke *nodding*: I also gamble and pit fight.  
Razor: You think that makes you a man? 'Oh ladedah I play Craps and beat people shitless for a couple bucks.' That doesn't make you a man, that makes you a prostitute.  
Stryke *submissively*: Whoa, calm down. You want me to stop fuckin' stealing… then fine… I will.  
Razor: Prove that to me, Stryke, give that man his wallet back.  
  
*Stryke slipped off, finding the orange lion, and slipped the wallet, unknowingly to the creature, back into its back pocket. Stryke returned to Razor.*  
  
Stryke: That better? Cuz I sure as fuck am _NOT _apologizing to him.  
  
*Razor just shrugged*  
  
Razor: Good enough for me.  
  
*Stryke then emptied his bag.*  
  
Stryke *sheepishly*: Don't remember the owners of these.  
  
*Razor was amazed. Gold watches, necklaces, other sorts of jewelry, some rubies, and many, many wallets… in a pile on the ground before him. Razor quickly walked away from the valuables, not wanting framed. Razor headed toward a nearby alleyway, where Kai, Aita, and Sam were waiting for him.*_


	18. 411VM

~~~~~~~~  
  
Kai: _Who are they?  
_  
*Razor turned around to see that Stryke and Jade had followed him. Razor shrugged, and looked back at Kai.*  
  
Razor: A couple of friends of mine.  
  
*Kai turned his head away, and Razor searched for a portal. It did not take him long, and the group soon found themselves back on the Cosmic Interstate.*  
  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor tried to remember… There was something… he didn't have the date for. Something that needed found out. Something in his own dimension. Something… with his job. It slowly settled on Razor, and he started off down the Cosmic Interstate, headed towards the Quantum Universe. After about a fifteen minute walk, Razor was presented with the Quantum Universe's Gateway of Portals, and he searched for the Dallas portal. He soon came across it, and he, Kai, Stryke, Jade, Sparks, and Aita hopped through it.*  
  
Location: Dallas, TX  
Time: 5:00 PM  
  
*As Razor got out near the old base, he immediately phoned his manager, looking back at the others in the group.*  
  
Razor *to Kai*: Sorry, not so much action for now, just something I have to do.  
FTM: Hello?  
Razor: Hey, I have a question for you.  
FTM: Shoot.  
Razor: Did the people from 411VM give you a day or anything, or a time?  
FTM: Actually, I'm glad you asked me that, Spike called me about 5 minutes ago asking me to get you over there, since 411 forgot to give you a date and such. Lucky that you live around there.  
Razor: Yeah, I'm on my way then. Later.  
  
*Razor hung up, starting onto his board, skating down the road, on his way to the fountain that the skater had knocked himself unconscious on. As he arrived, he saw practically nobody there, except for a hedgehog, slightly taller than Razor. He looked like he'd been around quite a bit, and the scar on his left arm showed he had gotten into a fight more than once. His fur was of a dark pewter color, his quills an even darker shade of gray. Razor shrugged. The quills looked dyed, though it still had a cool look to it. The hedgehog held a video camera bag on the bench he was sitting on, a skateboard across his lap. Razor walked up to him, board in hand, and read his nervous expression. Razor raised an eyebrow, then looked behind him, remembering that Kai had followed him through. Kai settled down somewhere in the grass, well away from where Razor had any intent of skating. The hedgehog looked at him, obviously edgy about the whole thing. Razor decided to try and calm the fellow he assumed to be Spike down.*  
  
Razor: Don't worry about him, he won't hurt you.   
  
*The hedgehog nodded, then looked at Razor*  
  
Hedgehog: So you're Roi Valley?  
Razor: Yeah, but everybody just calls me Razor.  
Hedgehog: I'm… well, screw the custom, just call me Spike.  
Razor: So you're the one taping the shoot, I'm wagering?  
Spike: Yep, every second of it.  
Razor: In that case, what are you wanting me to do? I mean, around here, Dallas, this fountain. Good skate spot, just what are you looking for?  
Spike: This is your first video shoot?  
Razor: Yes.  
Spike: Well this is how it works. I don't tell you what to do. You just do it, and I just shoot it. Simple.  
Razor: *beat* Okay then… get your camera ready…  
  
*Razor went up the grassy gap, and headed over to the area that he rode down to clear the gap. He got some speed, and soon left the ground, doing a 360 flip over the grassy gap and sticking it clean. He rode over to the fountain and stopped.*  
  
Spike: Nice… what else you got?  
  
*Razor got up, and started riding around the area of the fountain, riding up to the edge of the fountain. He did a short crooked grind on the fountain's edge, doing a hardflip out. He was riding switch now, and he went up to the front of the board, doing a fakie noseslide, turning himself back around. He landed in a manual, and ollied up onto the fountain, landing in a nosemanual. He rode the fountain to one of its edges, and did a kickflip back onto the ground. He rode over to a staircase that led down to the fountain, and stopped, getting off his board.*  
  
Spike: Sick tricks, man.  
Razor: Thanks, but I'm just getting started.  
  
*Razor climbed up the staircase, which was a 15-set, and got some distance between it and him. He built up some speed, and nollied the staircase, landing firm and riding away. He stopped, and walked back up the staircase. He saw Spike move this time, to the side of the staircase, getting a better angle. Razor took a deep breath, and rode over to the staircase, ollieing it and doing a BS 360 Melon grab over it, landing it firmly and riding away again. He hopped off his board, and looked over at Spike.*  
  
Spike: Haha, mad skills man.  
Razor: Thanks.  
  
*Razor scaled the staircase one last time, doing a kickflip into a 5-0 on the staircase's handrail, riding off, turning around, and heading back to Spike.*  
  
Razor: What else is there, really?  
Spike: Yeah, I suppose you'd want to skate on your own element. I guess that this is it for Dallas, though. I'll see you in two weeks, that Saturday, in New York  
Razor: Where in New York?  
Spike: The intersection of 43rd and 78th.  
Razor: Ah, okay, later.  
  
*Spike skated off, and Razor shrugged, heading back to the old hero base.*  
  
Razor: That didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would…


	19. Anima Ubel

A short chapter before I leave for a week of vacation… I'll probably not get another thing up for another week after I get back… school's starting soon *sigh*… oh well, this will still stay relatively active.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Location: The Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor walked hastily now, sizing up various dimensions. Most of the dimensions seemed as plain as the earth itself, and he always saw them as nothing worth looking into. Most of them didn't even know that other dimensions existed. After a long walk down no-name dimensions that were nothing special Razor finally found a place that he felt should be a good spot to start a search. He shuddered at the thought of entering the dimension which sat before him; a simple wooden sign with blood-scrawled letters read "Anima-Ubel." Razor looked back at his group which had been following him, and shrugged. He wasn't sure what they would do to help him. He didn't know what kind of skill fighting they had. Stryke's criminal nature had to have forced him to learn how to fight, though Razor wasn't positive about Jade. She hung around Stryke, and it made him wonder if she was seeking protection or… what. Razor knew one thing, if any of them come in handy, Kai would. A phoenix, and a natural fighter. Razor sighed, and headed through the portal.*  
  
Location: Anima-Ubel  
Time: After Dark   
  
*The first thing Razor heard was a gunshot, and before he knew what was going on there was a smoking bullet hole in the building behind him. Razor jetted down a nearby alleyway, Stryke, Jade, Sparks and Kai following. When they got into the alleyway, Razor was relieved to find it uninhabited, and the group caught its breath. After a little while, Razor headed down the alleyway, which opened up to a field. Razor turned just in time to duck under a kick, and he grabbed the leg which was connected to a fierce-looking tiger, which Razor was relieved to find unarmed. Razor drove the tiger to the ground, and it was soon fleeing. Razor dusted himself off, and continued walking. Two alleys over, he saw disturbance in an alley; a couple of foxes were standing around in a circle, knives out, and laughing about something. Razor got a closer look, and saw a young-looking raccoon lying on the ground. The raccoon did not look native, its blue blood giving it away. Razor's own blood boiled at the sight, and Razor was soon in front of the kid, guarding him. One of the foxes started after him, but the other looked towards where he had come from, and was soon dealing with a very angry Jade. Razor waited on the fox, and as the knife flew towards Razor's stomach Razor grabbed the arm, flipping the fox over his back, holding onto the arm and wrenching the knife from the fox's grip. Razor held the fox's knife forward, and the fox scurried away, and as Razor turned around he saw Jade standing over a limp fox that looked swollen, the claws on her hands bloodied. She retracted her claws, and headed over to Razor, who was standing over the raccoon. Razor leaned in, and sighed. The raccoon was injured badly, and even more scared than injured. Razor looked at Jade, and sighed, aware of the extent of the raccoon's wounds.*  
  
Razor: We've gotta bolt if we're going to get this kid to safety. And not just anywhere, we're going to have to go back to Pice.  
Jade: _Why do we have to go back there?  
_Razor: Do YOU trust doctors here?  
Jade: _…Good point, let's go.  
_Razor: Ummm… Kai?  
  
*Razor didn't have to say anything else, and Kai fluttered down next to him. Razor and Jade picked the raccoon up and placed him gently on Kai's back, and Razor looked at the raccoon*  
  
Razor: Don't worry man, we'll get you help.  
Raccoon: I w-w-want my m-m-m-mom-m-my!  
Razor: Shh, I know… but save your energy little guy. *to Kai* Let's go before we run into any of those foxes' friends.  
  
*Razor walked back to where the portal was located, and soon a portal opened. Razor looked back at Kai, who was carrying both Jade and the raccoon now, Jade keeping the child company. Stryke and Sparks followed, and with a sigh, Razor stepped through the portal.*  
  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor stepped lightly, making his way as quick as he could to Pice. Stryke and Sparks followed suit, staying near Kai, who trailed Razor only a foot or so. Razor continued on. In the background, he could hear Jade talking softly to the raccoon. After a few moments, Razor heard a sharp intake of breath, the raccoon starting to cry.*  
  
Raccoon: I'm sc-c-sc-sc-scared…and c-c-c-c-c-cold.  
  
*Razor's ears perked, and he looked back at Jade, who wore a concerned look.*  
  
Jade: _We need to hurry, Razor.  
_  
*Razor only nodded, and broke into a run, only hoping that Stryke and Sparks could keep up. Razor watched for his exit off the Cosmic Interstate, which only arrived several minutes later. Razor ran down the ramp, and stopped in front of the portal, waiting for the others, who were there a few moments later. Razor hadn't even gotten winded, but Stryke was slightly winded, and Sparks was sweating. Razor shook his head and jumped through the portal.*


	20. Return to Pice

Well, I guess this didn't take as long as I thought… lol… well, here we go…  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Location: Pice  
Time: 9:00 PM  
  
*Razor looked about the area, looking quickly for the nearest hospital. He caught sight of a building that looked promising, and broke into a run again. As they got near the front door, a white panther came out, looking him over. Her eyes went wide with the sight of him, and she smiled.*  
  
Panther: _Roi? Roi Vall—_  
Razor: Yeah… I don't mean to interrupt you but I have an emergency.   
  
*Razor pointed at the raccoon he found*  
  
Razor: He's hurt… badly. This is a hospital, I believe.  
Panther: _Yes. It is. Bring him in; we'll take care of him.  
_Razor: Of course.  
  
*Razor went over, and he and Jade helped the nurse carry the raccoon into the hospital. They did not stop until the raccoon was safely laid in a bed. The raccoon was unconscious now, and Razor looked at the panther, who took a small sample of the young raccoon's blood. A doctor came in: a rather wise-looking blue fox. The nurse handed him the blood sample, and the fox turned back out of the room, turning left. Razor watched as a different doctor, this one a pink lion (which struck Razor as odd, since the lion was male) came in and checked the raccoon's vital signs. A few moments later, the fox came back with a bag of the blue blood that matched the raccoon. As the fox left again, Razor followed him out.*  
  
Razor: Well, I'm amazed.  
Fox: _For what? I should be amazed I'm talking to you…  
_Razor: How did you have that raccoon's blood type here?  
Fox: _We didn't… that blood is semi-artificial.  
_Razor: Really now? How do you manage that?  
Fox: _We have a method of getting blood cells to reproduce… at a rapid rate. Technically, that is real blood of that raccoon's type, but it was lab-made.  
_Razor: Wow… cool.  
  
*Razor nodded, and walked back to the raccoon's room. It wasn't long before he, Jade, Sparks, and Stryke were shooed from the room so the doctors could work. Razor sighed, and walked outside to where Kai was waiting. The group proceeded off one way, trying to figure out where to spend the night. Razor sighed as he saw the Rugal Inn, and looked around again. He looked back at the group.*  
  
Razor: I suppose, for now, we rest at this inn. Seems to be the closest one to the hospital.  
Jade *nodding*: _Makes sense.  
_Razor: I suppose… two ro—  
Stryke: One… room. A double.  
  
*As Stryke said this he looked at Jade mischievously, but Razor didn't see. He headed into the inn, and all but Kai followed. Kai went into the nearby alleyway. Razor went up to the front desk, and Sesois greeted him warmly.*  
  
Sesois: _How many rooms for Roi's posse?  
_Razor: … One. A double.  
Sesois: _Hmm…Okay then... _*handing Roi two keys*_ Signout time is __12:00__Noon__. Your room is on this floor, down that hallway.  
Razor: Okay, thank you.  
  
*Razor didn't walk far before he started hearing Stryke's comments behind him. Razor could tell that Stryke was trying something with Jade, and sure enough, a few moments later Jade was beside him.*  
  
Jade: _Razor… Can I ask you a favor?  
_Razor: Of course, what?  
Jade *so only Razor could hear*: _Could I sleep with you?  
_Razor: Why?  
Jade: _…Stryke… makes me nervous… I'm afraid he's going to try something…  
_Razor: Ah… well… of course you can, Jade.  
Jade: _Thanks, Razor…  
  
_*Jade leaned over and gave Razor a kiss on the cheek. Razor patted her on the shoulder, and soon found the room that they would stay in. Razor entered the room, taking off his shoes and kicking them over to one of the walls. Razor set his board down, and turned to see Jade walk into the bathroom. Razor waited for her to finish, and several minutes later she came out. As she passed him, she kissed him a second time, and stopped him.*  
  
Jade: _Thank you again, Razor.  
_Razor: It's no problem.  
  
*Razor headed into the bathroom, taking a quick shower. As he came back out, drying himself off, Jade was sitting on one of the beds, and Stryke was sitting next to her, trying to cuddle with her. Razor knew, again, what he was trying to do, and Jade was pushing away from him. Razor shook his head.*  
  
Razor: Stryke… no means no, now leave her be.  
  
*Stryke only looked at Razor, and slowly stood up. Razor crawled under the covers of the bed, and Jade looked back, standing up and turning off the light in the room, slipping beneath the covers beside him. Jade came in close to Razor, and fell asleep hugging him, content. Razor nervously kept as much to himself as he could without stirring Jade, and quietly let sweet unconsciousness whisk him off to dreamland.*_  
  
  
__


	21. Problem in Pice

Location: Rugal Inn  
Time: 8:30 AM  
  
*Razor awoke before anyone else, and as he got out from Jade's grip, she woke up, looking at him with a smile on her face.*  
  
Jade: _Where you going?  
_Razor: Just down to get some breakfast for everybody for when they wake up. Anything specific you'd like?  
Jade: _Oh, no, no thank you, I'm not hungry.  
_Razor: What about something to drink? Would you like anything… orange juice, milk?  
Jade: _Some milk if you don't mind.  
_  
*Razor nodded, and headed down the hallway, to the area with the continental breakfast. He got himself a banana nut muffin and some milk, and picked up two bagels and two muffins, three orange juices and three milks for everyone else. He picked up an additional milk, in case Jade was a little thirstier than she let on. Razor went back into the room, and set the food on the table, handing Jade one of the milks, and taking his own meal and sitting on the bed. Jade smiled, thanking him, and sipped the milk. Razor finished his breakfast, and fiddled with his chaos emerald, pulling out the second book. Jade looked at him, perplexed, and seeming quite eager at the same time. Razor looked at the book, and sighed as he realized that recital was necessary for what he wanted to do. He looked over at Shade and Stryke, and smiled at Jade.*  
  
Razor: Eh, they've stayed asleep long enough.  
  
*Jade laughed, and Razor turned his attention back to the spell, which promised to be a simple addition to what he already knew how to do. A way to add abilities along with a shape. Razor looked forward to it, and decided to start simple, remembering the language of the emerald. He fingered it expertly, and started murmuring under his breath.*  
  
Razor: Schusis estris aerisens chus todos estos phostrion.  
  
*The emerald glowed blue for a moment, immediately afterward sending a blast straight into Razor's face, knocking him back into the wall behind the bed. The energy continued to push against him, with a crushing pressure that he could only hope to escape. Only a few seconds later, the blast was over, and Razor fell onto the bed. Razor coughed, and Jade looked at him in surprise.*  
  
Jade: _Are you okay!?  
_Razor: *cough* Yeah.  
Jade: _Sure?  
_Razor: Yeah, don't worry about it… I'm okay. Damn it, I hate verbal spells… One missed emphasis and that crap happens  
  
*Stryke, Shade and Sparks just stirred now, and Stryke took some of the food that Razor had brought up for them.*  
  
Razor *to Sparks*: Don't you want any?  
Sparks: Hmm? No…  
Razor: What about you, Shade?  
Shade: No, I'm good.  
  
*Razor waited patiently for Stryke to finish before starting to get ready to leave the hotel. They were soon were at the front desk, turning in the keys and heading out.*  
  
Time: 9:50 AM  
  
*Razor, Jade, Stryke, and Sparks were leaving the hotel. Razor turned and waved to Kai, who nodded and started walking to him. Razor saw out of the corner of his eye Sephrinia coming, and she suddenly tugged at her parents arms.*  
  
Sephrinia: _A phoenix! Mom, dad, look!  
_  
*Sephrinia approached Razor*  
  
Sephrinia: _Where did you get him?  
  
_*Razor only barely heard, his mind elsewhere, and he suddenly snapped back.*  
  
Razor: What? Oh… he decided to join me while I was in Mysin.  
Ammesyn: _Mysin?  
_Kai *forcefully*: _Yes, Mysin. Do you have a problem with that?  
_Ammesyn *sheepishly*: _No, I was just making sure I heard right.  
_*A pause*  
Ganette: _Let's go, we don't want to be late now, do we?  
  
_*The family walked off, and Razor and his friends continued on to the hospital.*  
  
Location: Hospital  
Time: 10:00 AM  
  
*The group headed inside, while Kai waited outside, patiently waiting for the visit's end. Razor headed to the raccoon's room, his head low as he saw the fragile child, lying limply in his bed, several bags hung off to the side, one of them holding his blood for him. Razor sighed, stroking the side of the raccoon's head gently. The raccoon was slightly cool; not dangerously so, though it still frightened Razor. Razor looked back at the others, and Jade came in, patting the raccoon gently on the hand. She sighed. Stryke and Sparks stood in the doorway, keeping neutral expressions upon their faces. Razor laid his hand on the raccoon's midsection gently, then the other, his head bowed.*  
  
Razor *softly*: God, before us now, a lost and lonely child. A child whose parents mean the world to him. A child getting thrown into the worst situation because of poor luck. A child innocent, guilty of little, that had a bad day however long ago he was transported to that wretched place. All I ask, Lord, is that he survives these wounds, that he recovers, so that he can return to his life, and at least be able to pretend nothing happened.  
  
*Razor's voice was tightening, and he drew in a quick breath, continuing while tears started to well up in his eyes.*  
  
Razor *shaky*: He has a whole life ahead of him, God, before entering to your kingdom. Please, just see him through. I-I-I-I will readily replace him if you need somebody, just please, Lord, don't take this child now, don't let him die in the presence of strangers.  
  
*Razor drew in another breath, but could not continue, bringing his hands over his face, his shoulders shaking as sobs escaped him. Jade patted him gently on the back, and Razor soon stood, still crying. He walked out of the hospital, heading over to a nearby bench to collect his thoughts while Jade hung back, talking to the unconscious raccoon. He sat, continuing to let the sobs escape him. After a few moments, his thoughts cleared slightly, and he looked over, seeing two figures walking toward him. Razor jolted into a stand, and pulled out his emerald defensively. The two figures were soon distinguished as bats in Razor's eyes, both black-furred. The bigger bat had blood red eyes, and looked quite thrilled to see Razor. The smaller bat was obviously female, and obviously a deal younger than the taller. She had deep purple eyes, with red fur along her eyes that looked like a bad case of makeup. Both looked as if they had not slept for a while, and the bigger bat smiled as he approached Razor, who stepped back, the emerald taking on a slight glow.*  
  
Older Bat: _Roi__? Roi…Just the man I was looking for.  
Razor: And you are…?  
Bat: _I'm Blitz.  
_  
*Razor suddenly heard hysterical laughter from the younger bat, who was almost crying with laughter, as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.*  
  
Younger Bat: _Blitz!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  
_Blitz: _I'm sorry, my sister is so tired she's slap-happy… Diane… DIANE!!  
_Diane: _Hahahahaha___… Wha?  
Blitz: _Calm down.  
  
_*There was a moment of silence, and the two bats yawned. It was quite apparent to Razor that they had not had any sleep for a while, and the emerald lost its glow. Razor relaxed his defensive crouch, and smiled slightly.*  
  
Razor: Okay… What business do you want with me?  
Blitz *with a weary sigh*: _Please… I just want help… I… Have… Been running from these things… I have no idea what they are… They came after my clan. All I know is that they are big. Very big. I… If you help me out… I don't have much actual money but… In my home there are many jewels… Take whatever you like… Just help me out… What do you say?___  
Razor: You… wouldn't… happen to have any jade in your home, would you?  
Diane *giggling*: _There's only one piece of jade where we live… Jade…Who thought of calling a rock JADE!? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  
_Razor *chuckling*: Damn dude, she is GONE!  
  
*Blitz chuckled*  
  
Razor: Lead me to them… But… first… Let me get my friends… We've been traveling, and it sounds like I could use a little help.  
Blitz: _Of course… and thanks, man.  
  
_*Razor nodded, and headed back into the hospital, going to Okime's room and getting Jade, Stryke, Sparks, and Shade to come along. As Razor came out, he saw Blitz carrying Diane, and was standing right beside Kai. Blitz looked at Razor.*  
  
Blitz: _Do you know this creature?  
_Razor: Yes, I do  
Blitz: _She fell asleep, would he mind if I laid her on his back?  
_  
*Kai lowered his blazing flame*  
  
Kai: _Be my guest.  
_  
*Blitz paused for a moment, and after realizing who said it, he looked at Kai, laying Diane on his back.*  
  
Blitz: _Oh, thank you very much…  
  
_*Razor looked on to Blitz, who nodded, walking off in the direction of the problem he asked Razor to fix.*_  
  
__


	22. Ominous Horizons

Location: A forest in Pice  
Time: 3:00 PM  
  
*Blitz was still leading, but Razor could see that he was exhausted. It wasn't too long after this thought crossed Razor's mind, Blitz fell to the ground. Razor walked up to him, and saw that Blitz was almost asleep, and Razor stopped him.*  
  
Razor: Blitz, why don't you rest? We can wait, it is no big deal.  
Blitz: _No… I want to travel by day.  
_  
*Razor shrugged, and helped Blitz up, continuing through the forest.*  
  
Location: A forest in Pice  
Time: 6:30 PM  
  
*Razor stopped in a clearing, and looked about.*  
  
Razor: Why don't we stop for the day here, rest up?  
Blitz: _Good idea…  
  
_*Razor looked over his back, and saw Jade climb up into a tree, lying on top of it, soon falling asleep. Razor sat on the ground, leaned against a tree. He pulled out his emerald, and fingered it carefully.*  
  
Razor: Schusis estris aerisens chus todos estos phostrion.  
  
*The emerald glowed for a second, and Razor winced as he felt himself get propelled back into the tree. The tree snapped under the pressure, and Razor looked up from the ground sheepishly.*  
  
Blitz: _What the hell? I've never heard a Valley say a spell out loud before_…  
Razor *shakily*: Well, that was supposed to be something different, and you usually don't do what I was just trying to say right in front of people.  
Blitz: _What were you trying to do?  
_Razor: Shapeshift into a raven.  
Blitz *yawning*: _I see… interesting.  
_Razor *chuckling*: You know how much that looked like sarcasm?  
Blitz: _I'm sorry… I'm just so tired from being up all day…  
_Razor: I know, I was just kidding.  
Blitz: _I know… what went wrong, by the way?  
_Razor: I wish I knew… Knowing the emeralds… My finger must have twitched… So many things you can do… it gets confusing.  
Blitz _I could only imagine.  
_  
*Diane soon woke up, stretching her wings out, then the rest of her body, somewhat tiredly. Blitz headed over near her, lying down.*  
  
Blitz: _Good night, Diane  
_Diane: _You stayed up?  
_Blitz: _Yeah, I'm going to try and get some sleep tonight, though.  
_Diane *worriedly*: _Okay…  
_  
*Razor shuddered, but he didn't really know why, remembering when he saw Diane's smile again. Razor shuddered again.*  
  
Diane: _Are you cold?  
_Razor: No… I just…  
Diane: _Then why'd you shiver?  
_Razor: Did I?  
Diane: _Yeah… Unless…  
_Razor *on guard*: What? *there was a pause, and Razor asked again* What??  
  
*Diane grabbed Razor around the waist, leaning down, putting her mouth right on Razor's neck. Razor could feel the two vampire teeth touching, but not piercing his skin.*  
  
Diane *jokingly*: _I vant to suck your blud!  
_  
*Razor jumped up to his feet, backing away from the bat. Diane laughed, and looked at Razor with amusement in her eyes.*  
  
Diane: _Scared ya, didn't I?  
_Razor: That's not funny! I'm already paranoid, I don't need this!  
Diane *hurt*: _I'm sorry… I'm sorry…  
_Razor: Okay, okay… Just… don't do that again… I'll start believing you.  
Diane *teasing*: _Seems to me you believed me now.  
  
*_Razor shrugged, and sat back by a tree, pulling his emerald out again. He looked at it for a while, and slowly drifted off to sleep.*_  
   
Location: A clearing in Pice  
Time: 8:58 AM  
  
*Razor woke to feeling something going in and out of his neck. It was wet, and thin… Razor blinked a couple times in realization, and snapped his hand straight over the side of the neck he could feel it, and made contact. Razor whipped around, and saw Diane flat on her back. She looked at Razor, and tears were soon flowing from her eyes. She started to cry, and Jade was soon over, trying to comfort her. Blitz came over to check Diane out, and looked back at Razor, saying he's fine. Razor could feel his face redden, and walked over to her, apologizing.*  
  
Razor *to Diane*: If it makes you feel better, go ahead and do what you wanted… Just… you know, don't suck me dry.  
  
*Diane immediately went for Razor's wound, and Razor fidgeted slightly as he let her drink his blood. Stryke stirred under a tree, and looked around groggily.*  
  
Stryke: Goddamn… what happened last night?  
Jade *at Stryke*: _HOW ARE YOU FEELING!!!!!!?  
_Stryke: Ah, shit, stop yelling… I have a headache  
Jade *gently, whispering in Stryke's ear*: I'm sorry… HOW ABOUT NOW!!!!?  
Stryke: Fuck…  
  
*Stryke leaned over and vomited, and Razor looked at him disgusted. Diane interrupted his thoughts.*  
  
Diane: _Razor?  
_Razor: What?  
Diane: _This is good…  
  
*_Shade awoke, and looked around, laughing as he saw Razor and Diane.*  
  
Shade: Good morning._  
_Stryke: Ah, shit dude, take it down a notch… my head feels like it's got a fuckin' axe in it.  
  
*Razor got up, wanting to continue on the journey. He offered to carry Diane, who accepted, continuing to lap up his blood. After a mile or two of walking, Razor felt Diane stop drinking his blood. She closed her wings around him, and yawned.*  
  
Diane: _Good day…  
_  
*Razor felt her head drop onto his back, and smiled. The group continued on through the day, stopping when the sun went down. The group fell asleep, except Diane, who was just waking up.*  
  
Location: A forest in Pice  
Time: 7:00 AM  
  
_"HEY! ROI! WAKE UP!"  
  
_*Razor jolted awake, and saw a green jaguar looking down at him.*  
  
Jaguar: _Get your damn hedgehog friend out of my bar.  
_Razor: What? What are you talking about?  
Jaguar:  _Your buddy Stryke has passed out on my counter! We need you to come and get him out of there! He might scare away some customers, or something.  
_Jade: __Just like Stryke to get us all in trouble, *sigh* __lead us there, ma'am.  
  
*Razor followed the jaguar off to a bar, seeing Stryke there, piss drunk. He helped Stryke to his feet, helping Stryke out. Blitz looked back at Razor, and smiled.*  
  
Blitz: _Hey, guys, this town would be good for resting… I want to sleep in a bed this week, if possible…  
_  
*Razor nodded, and turned to the jaguar.*  
  
Razor: If he comes back to the bar, don't serve him a damn thing.  
Jaguar: _Gotcha, Roi. He won't be allowed in anymore. Help him out with this alcohol problem. I've seen Stryke with this man couple night ago, Stryke was obviously a tad tipsy, kept calling him Kemosabi. Who is Kemosabi anyways?  
_Razor: We have no idea. What did this man look like?  
Jaguar: _He had on a military uniform, quite muscular, very handsome for a human... The uniform covered his whole body, up to his neck, he had a couple of guns dangling off his hip, he was also fairly light-skinned to the point of tanning... What else... Oh, yes, he had on a kind of helmet which I never saw before. I would have seen his eye color, but there was a sort of yellow glass, or plastic, covering his face from above the cheekbone, his nose uncovered, up to the beginning of his forehead.  
_Shade: Holy shit! She got a very good look at the man.  
Jaguar: _Well, ya know, when you work at bars, you get to know a customer at first glance.  
_Jade: _I've seen him before, don't know his name, though.  
_  
*Razor looked about. He knew who it was, and he called out.*  
  
Razor *angrily*: Halkon? Halkon, if you're following us, I don't care, but I'd really like to know why! *No response* Fine! I don't have time for this!  
  
*Razor turned around, and climbed onto Kai, motioning for Jade to get Stryke, and helping her put him on Kai's back. Suddenly, Razor saw Halkon drop down from a tree. Blitz and Diane were off to the side, ready to strike at any moment.*  
  
Razor: Why are you following us, Halkon? Don't lie to us!  
  
*Halkon paced for a little while, and suddenly turned and spoke.*  
  
Halkon: OK, if you must really know, Mr. Valley, I've followed you for about a week now. I saw you in Mysin after you met the leopard girl and the drunk there. I had seen the two before, they attacked the robot and that hedgehog called Sonco… As you know, Roi, I'm on a Military Force mission to find those murderers that attacked Air Base 61, and for a long time now, I've been wondering if you were an ally or an enemy. I mean, you are hanging out with those two criminals... and you have shown me real doubt if I should really trust you. I followed you from Mysin to here, watching your every move: getting to Anima-Ubel, meeting that mysterious hedgehog, Shade, helping out the raccoon, getting him to the hospital here, sleeping at the Rugal Inn, following those two bats, Blitz and Diane. Time to come clean, Mr. Valley. I am following you in the hopes you or any one of those you are currently in acquaintance of mention Fauxley, the current murderer I am tracking down. You are in the presence of people I believe have information, because crooks know crooks_.  
_  
*Razor tried to speak, but Halkon interrupted him by grabbing his handgun and cocking it, keeping it on low ready.*  
  
Halkon: Now, I want to know… For the sake of everyone's safety here… Tell me where I can find Fauxley.  
  
*Razor stood still for a little bit, and moved slowly towards Halkon, and not by much.*  
  
Halkon: I'm giving you one last chance to answer me… Razor.  
  
*Razor approached Halkon a little more, and sighed.*  
  
Razor: We don't know. That is the truth, Halkon… Please, you are committing a mistake… No one here has any idea of his whereabouts…_  
_  
*Razor's heart stopped as he saw Halkon suddenly point his gun at Stryke, and Razor responded by whipping his emerald out, it glowing a steady blue.*  
  
Jade: _NO! DON'T!  
_Shade *diving at Jade, missing*: Jade! Wait!  
  
*Everything around Razor seemed to slow down, and he looked about, watching the events. He closed his eyes; he knew. Someone was going to die. What killed him is that he didn't know who. Suddenly, he heard someone cry out; it was Halkon.*  
  
Halkon: NEVER!!!  
  
*And then came the shot. Razor looked over, and saw Halkon pointing his gun straight up in the air. Jade was almost on Halkon, and Halkon suddenly flipped her over his back, her landing hard on her back. Razor's eyes narrowed.*  
  
Halkon: NO! WAI—  
  
*Razor shot a bolt of energy out of his emerald, and Razor watched as Halkon rolled away from the blast. Razor took aim again, but Halkon started speaking.*  
  
Halkon: PLEASE! HOLD ON! I AM NOT GOING TO SHOOT HIM! WAIT!_  
_Razor *angrily*: Put your hands away from your guns, Halkon, and walk this way!   
  
*Halkon obeyed, and Razor waited for it to happen before continuing.*  
  
Razor: Hey Shade, cover for me, will you? If he attacks, shoot him.  
  
*Shade readied his weapon, and Razor headed forward, carefully taking the two guns Halkon had out of their holsters, setting them on the ground. Razor searched a little more and found a jungle knife. Razor discarded of it, and looked at Halkon, his patience gone.*  
  
Razor: Now, Halkon, I have lost my patience. I want you to quit following us. We don't know anything about Fauxley's whereabouts.  
Halkon: Roi, please understand, I was having a momentary attack of… I don't know how to put this… But, give me a chance… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to harm Stryke… Or Jade, for that matter.  
  
*Everything paused for a moment, and Razor finally smiled.*  
  
Razor: Shade, go on, lower the gun.  
Shade: But Roi…  
Razor: No, go on, I trust him.  
Jade: _WHAT!? WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM GO!? HE TRIED TO KILL STRYKE!  
_Razor: Listen, guys, I understand what's been going through with him, but he trusted me more than once, I trust him in not attempting to cause harm to us again  
Kai: _But, Roi…  
_Razor: No, let him off the hook, Kai. He was following orders, but was I the only one who saw him pull the gun up to the air and surrender? *No one spoke* Listen, Halkon, I'm letting you go, but I'm truly sorry we can't help you. Take your weapons, but I suggest you look elsewhere, Fauxley's not the kind that would be hanging around here in Pice.  
  
*Halkon slowly walked away, turning around to offer a bow.*  
  
Halkon: Thank you. I'm sorry for the harm and problems I caused following you. I should have wised up better and realized you are all part of the good guys, not helpers of filth like Evil Sonic…  
  
*Halkon had started to head into the forest, but Blitz stepped forward.*  
  
Blitz: _Wait!  
_  
*Everyone turned to look at Blitz, who nodded towards Halkon.*  
  
Blitz: _This Fauxley character… In our escape, Diana and I heard about a crazy red hedgehog hanging out with a blue hedgehog wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses at a place called Mysin… He kept calling the blue guy Blueglass… I think you'd be better off looking for him at this Mysin place…  
_Halkon: Mysin!  
  
*Halkon suddenly ran up to Razor, who looked about nervously.*  
  
Halkon: Please, Roi, I need a portal to the Cosmic Interstate! Do you know where I can find one?  
  
*Razor looked at his emerald, and smiled.*  
  
Razor: With luck, I can summon a portal. I've been practicing, but it's not guaranteed that I'll be able to call one up…  
  
*Razor held his arm out, and bowed his head, starting a soft chant.*  
  
Razor: Azon jei an_ik_ _dimen_ Cosmico _In_ter sta_to_ yemen _pai_ yon _PICE_!  
  
*Upon concluding, Razor stood straight up, stiffly. Waiting. Nothing.*  
  
Diane: _I think you messed—  
  
_*Suddenly, a portal ripped through the air, blasting everyone back.*  
  
Razor: I think… I got it right…  
Halkon *starting through the portal*: Thank you, Roi.  
Razor: Halkon! *Razor ran up to the agent, and stretched to put his hand on the man's shoulder* Good luck.  
  
*Halkon turned around, and nodded to everyone.*  
  
Halkon: Sorry, and thank you for everything.  
  
*Halkon walked through the portal, vanishing. Razor breathed a sigh, and looked at the sky. It was now almost 1:00 in the afternoon, and he decided to go off in search for a place to spend the night, for they were not to travel until the next day anyhow.*  
  
_  
  
__


	23. The Jade of Justice

A new character is introduced here, so I will give credit to the creator:  
  
Wolfboy1999, the creator of Stryke, created the "Trevor" character introduced.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Location: Pice  
Time: 9:00 AM  
  
*Razor awoke, and smiled as he saw he was the last one to get up, putting on his shoes and grabbing his backpack, heading off in the direction Blitz led them. Diane was just winding down from her night, and as they headed outside, she climbed up onto Kai. Razor bit his lower lip, and walked up to Kai…*  
  
Razor: Sorry man… I'm pretty sure this isn't what you had in mind…  
Kai: _No, don't worry about it, I don't mind her.  
_  
*Razor nodded, and the group headed off. After a couple hours of walking, Razor went up to Blitz, curiosity getting the best of him.*  
  
Razor: Now… these things… what do they look like?  
Blitz: _They… they look like… well… hairless apes…  
_Razor: Humans? I wouldn't really consider them big… especially from your perspective.  
Blitz: _Well, it's the others… the ones they seem to commandeer, that are so large… they look like wolves…but bigger… likely guarding the outers of the encampment…  
_  
*Razor nodded, and continued walking.*  
  
Location: Near human encampment  
Time: 1:00 PM  
  
*Razor stopped as he saw the encampment. It wasn't too special, but he gulped as he saw what Blitz was talking about: the dogs, as he described them, were at least 7 feet high. Razor smiled slightly, slinking over to a nearby tree. Razor looked over at Jade, and nodded, climbing up the tree and looking at one of the 4 dogs that were out and about. Razor pulled out his emerald, and fingered it slightly, concentrated on the 4 dogs. Razor shook his head.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Always pack animals, aren't they?  
_  
*As Razor thought this, a dark streak flew toward the ground near the dogs, a thick mud suddenly forming, the dogs sinking in it up to their necks. Razor concentrated again, and the ground hardened into stone where the dogs were. Razor smiled, and jumped down to where the dogs were, and frowned as he saw their heads lash around desperately. Razor kneeled behind one of the heads, and started petting it. The dog tried to lash around, but couldn't, and it rested its head on the stone it was trapped in. Razor trotted over to the others, who were hiding behind a tree, and he looked over at all of them. He saw Diane lying on Kai, and walked over, picking her up and setting her down under the shade of the tree that was there. She stirred, and looked at him tiredly.*  
  
Razor: Sorry, I need Kai's help…  
  
*Diane nodded, and Razor looked over at the others.*  
  
Razor: Okay… let me think now… I guess now is the perfect time to just get in there and take them down. Those dogs aren't going anywhere now… the pressure will soon kill them…  
  
*Razor walked into the encampment, Blitz and Sparks staying back, but Jade, Shade, and Stryke following. Razor looked into the camp, and soon saw several humans turn to face him. They turned to face him, and they greeted him with false friendliness.*  
  
Human: We're going to have to ask you to leave…  
Razor: Is that so? I've gotten some rap that you are terrorizing some friends of mine…  
Human: What, those vampire bats? Rats with wings? Are those who y—  
  
*The human talking was interrupted by Razor's fist, and was knocked to the ground. Razor pulled his emerald out and waited for the rest of the group to start in, and turned right as a couple charged from in front and behind him. He jumped, and split kicked the two. The third that was charging got grabbed by the neck and thrown onto his back. Razor looked about, and jumped as they all got up. Razor turned to face the three, but heard an alarm sound. Razor shook his head in a slight amusement, and watched as Jade worked at the several that were going her way. Kai was also efficiently destroying many humans at a time. Razor turned and saw a human pointing a gun his way from a distance, and his emerald started to glow. Razor watched as the bullets came slowly toward him, and jumped over them, landing back on the ground. As he landed, the human dropped his gun in surprise, and Razor charged to him, spin kicking him in the head. Razor could see several other humans with guns hold their hands up in surrender, and Razor started walking to them.*  
  
Razor: Guns down.  
  
*The humans did as they were told, and Razor looked at all of them.*  
  
Razor: Any of you mind telling me what the bats did to you?  
Human: They have been poisoning the atmosphere around here… we…  
Razor *interrupting*: Oh, so its racist, is it?  
Human: …Specist really.  
Razor: Don't be a smart-ass, buddy, I wouldn't suggest it.  
  
*Razor suddenly felt something behind him, and he ducked under and sprung back, kicking another human in the neck. As he landed, Razor jumped off, kicking two of the humans now charging at him in the head, knocking them out. The battle lasted only a little while longer before the encampment seemed deserted, Jade going around and poisoning each of the humans, leaving no known survivors. Razor smiled, and walked out of the encampment, looking at Blitz.*  
  
Blitz: _Thank you so much, Roi… Come with me, I'll let you pick out what you want from my cave…  
_  
*Razor nodded, and picked Diane up, putting her on Kai's back and hopping on. Getting the idea, Jade started walking one way. Blitz took flight, luckily in her direction, and Kai followed him. The two flied slow so Jade, Shade, Sparks, and Stryke could keep up, and soon they set down on the ground, near a cave. Jade looked at Razor, and Razor walked inside, looking about the cave. He saw many priceless jewels, but not the jade he sought. He looked at Blitz perplexed.*  
  
Razor: I thought you said you had jade…  
Blitz: _We did… someone… must have stolen them…  
_  
*Razor ran out of the cave, and looked around, seeing a human walking away. Razor saw a glint in one hand, and started running towards him. The group followed, and the human started to run. Just as Razor was getting near, a portal opened, and the human disappeared into it. Razor stopped in front of it, and without much further hesitation, he went inside, the group following close behind.*  
  
Location: The Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor found the human, running again, and gave chase again. Razor focused on him, and the guy suddenly darted down an off-ramp. Razor came down just in time to see the man run into one of the portals, and Razor dove into the portal after him.*  
  
Location: Diablo Dimension  
Time: 5:00 PM  
  
*Razor shuddered slightly at all the bombed buildings, but shook the feeling off as he gave chase again to the fellow. Razor started after the human, and started losing ground as the man started sprinting. The human darted around a corner, and as Razor came around the corner, he stopped cold. He saw a white hedgehog holding a pistol, the gun smoking in his hand. The hedgehog had a black eye-patch over his left eye, and several scars over his face. Razor pulled his emerald out and readied for the next shot, but to his surprise the man lowered his gun. Razor nervously approached the hedgehog, but more so the dead human in front of him. The hedgehog reached down and picked up the jade, and Razor glared at him.*  
  
Hedgehog: I… saw the man coming, and you were chasing him. I figured this belonged to you.  
  
*The hedgehog gave the jade to a surprised Razor, and Razor examined it, smiling as he saw that it looked just like the picture that Cisait showed him. Razor thanked the man, and started to walk away, but the mysterious hedgehog called out to him.*  
  
Hedgehog: Where are you going? I mean, are you leaving Diablo?  
Razor: Yes...  
Hedgehog: Could… could I tag along?  
Razor: Why? Who are you? Why do you want to leave?  
Hedgehog: I'm Trevor… a while back I got lost on the Cosmic Interstate and wound up here… I've spent over 40 years of my life in this wretched place. See… I was born in Angelique, and I haven't been able to get back. What do you say?  
Razor: Oh, of course… I have a couple of other things to take care of first, however. So, if you're cool with tagging along for a little while…  
Trevor: That's no problem, let's go.  
  
*Razor nodded, and looked for the nearest portal out of Diablo. As he found the portal, the group headed through it, and found themselves on the Cosmic Interstate, heading back to Pice to check up on the raccoon that was at the hospital.*_  
  
_


	24. 411VM: Part 2

Finally getting to this… hehe… sorry, been kinda busy… anyways, here goes.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Pice  
Time: 8:00 PM  
  
*Razor saw the hospital up on the horizon, and headed inside. Once there, he headed to the nurse, who simply waved them on. As he got to the raccoon's room, he wasn't entirely surprised at what he saw; the raccoon still unconscious. Razor sat beside the bed, and forced a smile onto his face.*  
  
Razor: You're looking better today…  
  
*He didn't really care that the raccoon couldn't hear a word he was saying, it soothed him to hear such, even though it was from himself. The steady beeping of the monitors seemed to help calm him as well. Jade sat on the other side, and Razor suddenly noticed something clutched in the raccoon's arm: a small blue teddy bear. He looked at Jade.*  
  
Razor: Did you give him—  
Jade: No… I didn't… you didn't?  
Razor: No…  
  
*Razor turned and looked at Stryke.*  
  
Razor: I didn't realize you cared that much…  
  
*Stryke just shrugged, and Razor smiled slightly. He patted the raccoon gingerly on the shoulder, standing up. He said a small prayer, and walked away. Shade, Blitz, and Diane met up with the three outside of the room, and the six left the hospital. Kai joined up with them, and Razor sighed as he found a portal out of Pice, walking through it, en route to the Quantum Dimension.*  
  
Location: Quantum Dimension; Gateway of Portals  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor looked through the portals, smiling as he found the Dallas portal. He turned around with a shrug.*  
  
Razor: There's no reason for you guys to come, I'll be back in like two seconds.  
  
*The group nodded, and all stayed back. Razor headed through the portal.*  
  
Location: Dallas, TX  
Time: 10:00 AM  
  
*Razor walked up to the old abandoned factory, and opened the door, grabbing his board propped up on the inside wall. He walked back to the portal still open, and hopped back through, arriving in the Gateway of Portals again.*  
  
Razor: Okay, now to New York.  
  
*The group headed off down the Gateway of Portals, looking for the New York. As it came up, Razor smiled, walking into the portal.*  
  
Location: New York, New York  
Time: 11:14 AM  
  
*Razor looked about, trying to find his bearings. A nearby street sign signified that they were on 74th Street, and Razor headed to the sign, seeing that the street passed through Broadway. He looked down, and tried to remember which way the numbers ran.*  
  
Blitz: _So where are we going?_  
Voice: _Yeah, where are we going?_  
  
*Razor jumped a mile when he heard it, recognizing it instantly and whipping around to see Sephrinia.*  
  
Razor: Sephrinia? Why are you here?  
Sephrinia: _I wanted to see the other dimensions, Roi… So I snuck out while my parents were out…_  
Razor: So… your parents have no idea where you are?  
Sephrinia: _Not a clue.  
_Razor: Then you should go back. I don't want to be responsible for your death.  
Sephrinia: _I can take care of myself. Besides, with the greatest fighter at my side…  
_Razor: … There's nothing I could say to make you want to go back, is there?  
Sephrinia: _Nope.  
_Razor: Even if I told you where I'll be going, you wouldn't want to go back?  
Sephrinia: _Absolutely not.  
_Razor: Okay then.  
  
*Razor started walking, and soon saw Spike sitting on the corner of 72nd and Park Avenue. Spike smiled as he saw Razor, and walked up to him, camera in hand.*  
  
Spike: I see you found me okay.  
Razor: Yeah… let's do this thing.  
Spike: Of course… the skate park is just a few blocks that way.  
Razor: Cool, let's go.  
  
*Razor stepped on his board, and skated off down the street. Spike turned on his camera, and skated after him. The group followed, lagging behind quickly, but not bothering to speed up, except for Sephrinia, who broke into a run every time she got too far behind. Her tone was slowly turning purple as she saw Razor skate, and by the time the group was at the skatepark, she was glowing and rambling.*  
  
Sephrinia: _Wow… Never… I've never seen anything like that… how did you do that Roi?  
_Razor: That? That wasn't much… nothing there that hasn't been done before.  
  
*Razor turned his attention to the skatepark, and walked in, heading immediately to the halfpipe. He climbed to the top, and Spike got up on the other side. Razor dropped in, doing a Crippler on the other side. He landed, and did a Frontside Air on the other side. As he got back to where Spike was again, he did a McTwist, followed by another Frontside Air. He pumped hard on the transition, and pulled through a 720 to fakie. As he got up the other ramp, he did a Gay Twist, and as he got up the ramp, he did an axle stall on the ramp, going back down the ramp. On the far side, he did a Kickflip to Indy, and as he launched off the coping one last time, he turned 900, riding away smoothly and landing on the other side. He looked over to see Spike, who was wearing an awed expression, and held up one finger. Razor smiled, and dropped back in, doing a frontside air on that side, then another. When he came back, he did a FS Rodeo 900, riding away shakily but quickly. He did a blunt on the far side, and came out in front of Spike.*  
  
Spike: Good… good… that with the vid in Dallas should make a good video. By the way… they set it to music, what do you want going on during your part?  
Razor: "Days of the Phoenix."  
Spike: By AFI?  
Razor: That's the one.  
  
*Spike nodded, and headed off. Razor rode over to the other side, and got his backpack. Just as he was putting it on, the phone inside it rang. Razor picked it up, and flipped it open.*  
  
Razor: Hello?  
FTM: Hey… how's the video coming?  
Razor: Spike just left… we're done.  
FTM: Sweet. Hey, think you could swing by the studio tomorrow?  
Razor: What time is it there?  
FTM: 8:00 AM  
Razor: Oh, hell, I could get there today.  
FTM: Even better. It's 754 Main Street in LA, I'll see you whenever you get here.  
Razor: Alright man, later.  
  
*Razor hung up, and put the phone back in his backpack. He rode down the halfpipe, and rode off of it in the flatbed, turning out of the skatepark and slowing down as he exited, looking back at Kai and the rest of the group. Razor walked off, looking for a portal back into the gateway, and stepped through the first one he found, taking him back to the Cosmic Interstate.*


	25. Duck, Duck, Goose

Razor, Sparks, Stryke, Shade, Jade, Blitz, Diane, Kai, Trevor and Sephrinia… quite a lineup, yes? lol…  
  
Hmm… well… I guess I'm finally getting to a point where I will soon be able to get these up in a punch… 1 2 1 2… ;-) Why, you might ask? Well, I have a certain point of this saved… somewhere… and I think I'm almost to the point where I saved… so I guess you could say I am almost done… boring you, that is… *sigh* SOMEONE I DON'T KNOW PLEASE READ AND REVIEW… let me know you are reading it, you don't have to state an opinion if you really don't want to, but I really hate the feeling that I would have to be funny to get readers.  
~~~~~~~  
Location: Gateway of Portals  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor headed west down the gateway, looking for the Los Angeles portal. As he came across the portal, the group went through.*  
  
Location: Los Angeles  
Time: 8:30 AM  
  
*Razor, Sparks, Stryke, Shade, Jade, Blitz, Diane, Kai, Trevor and Sephrinia headed off, looking for Main Street. Lincoln, Birch, Washington… Main! There it was… Razor checked the two addresses on either side of him. The one to his right read 1294, and the one on the left read 1292. Razor nodded, and turned left, walking down the street. 1290, 1288, 1286… He walked, watching the numbers on the mailboxes slowly shrink in size. Soon he was looking at boxes that read around 760, and he picked up the pace slightly.*  
  
Sephrinia *orange*: _Why does he want to see you anyways?  
_Razor: I don't know, he didn't tell me…  
  
*Razor sighed, and was soon outside of the building. He turned around, and smiled.*  
  
Razor: You guys can all go off… go do your own thing, cuz I have no idea how long this is gonna take. We could just meet back here at… umm… Noon?  
Stryke: Sounds good…  
  
*Most everyone headed off, but Sephrinia stayed right beside him. Blitz, Diane, and Kai went around a corner into a nearby alley, and Razor shrugged as they left his sight, heading into the building.*  
  
Location: Flip Team Studio Building  
Time: 9:00 AM  
  
*Razor headed forward for a moment, and saw his manager just coming down the steps. His manager raised an eyebrow to him, obviously not expecting him, but then smiled.*  
  
FTM: Awesome, you're here… *headed back up stairs* Come on.  
  
*Razor and Sephrinia headed up the stairs, and into a room with a couple computers in it. The team manager sat at one, and opened a program that looked a lot like a Paint Shop program, but with an oval 'canvas' that was shaped like a skateboard deck. Razor cocked his head at the computer, and the team manager looked over.*  
  
FTM: I guess I should have told you what I wanted you hear for… but… well… I was curious… see, we're trying to make a couple more deck series, and I was wondering if you had any ideas…  
Razor: Well… lemme think for a minute… *long pause* What about an inkblot series?  
FTM: Inkblot?  
Razor: Yeah, like have inkblots of certain colors, on a certain colored background, with the Flip logo and skater name… or something…  
  
*The manager played with the mouse for a little bit, and soon an orange "blot" was on the board, with a white background. The flip logo was in one corner, and the words "Insert Name" was etched through the blot in white.*  
  
FTM: You mean like that?  
Razor: Yeah, something like that.  
FTM: I think I know how Geoff would like his…  
  
*Razor watched as the white was replaced with blue, and the blot became black. Geoff's name was now written in the blot in blue, the very end of his name being outlined in black to be visible on the blue background. Razor saw it, smiled, and glanced about. He saw the other computer, and frowned as he saw letters appear on screen. He noticed the computer wasn't on, and he gulped. The letters "G………………………O……………………O……………….O…………S…………E" slowly appeared on the screen, and he looked at it confusedly, trying to figure out its meaning. He glanced one way, and his heart stopped as he saw a black silhouette standing near the door. A gunshot rang out, and Razor fell one way, hearing the bullet whiz by his ear. He winced in pain as he felt his right arm get scorched by the bullet's flight, and he fell to the ground. He looked over, and saw Sephrinia, jet black, and trembling with fear. He crawled over to where she was under the desk, noticing the silhouette disappear.*  
  
Razor: Are you okay?  
Sephrinia: _Ohmygod what was that!?  
_Razor: I… don't know… Are you okay?  
Sephrinia *slowly calming down*: _I…I… I think so…  
_  
*Razor looked her over for a moment. She had no injuries, and was slowly calming herself, fuchsia starting to replace the black. Razor smiled, and got up, pulling her out from underneath the desk. Razor's manager looked at him for a moment, then nodded.*  
  
FTM: O….Kay… Umm… Well, thanks for your suggestion, Roi… Umm… why don't you go on and head home then.  
Razor: Good idea… later.  
FTM: Lata…  
  
*Razor walked downstairs, and his heart stopped as he saw the downstairs. A pentagram was scrawled on the wall behind the front desk in blood, and there was plenty surplus in the several others downstairs. A reddened envelope stayed clutched in one person's hand, a horrified expression frozen on their face. A dagger's handle protruded from their chest, and Razor shuddered. He looked at the pentagram on the wall, and then walked up to it, looking over the front desk. The smell of death was unbearable back there, and Razor counted three lifeless bodies back there. One of them was lying on the keyboard of a computer, which was red with blood. Razor carefully lifted the head, and nearly vomited as he saw the bloody front of her face completely torn off. He could see the bone structure of the front of her skull quite clearly, and he put the head back down. He noticed that something looked as though it had been pinned to on of the secretary's backs; a black sheet of paper attached by a curved-looking dagger. Razor turned the paper over, and saw nothing but blood on the other side. Suddenly, the blood ran off the paper, leaving trails in the shape of letters. Razor gulped, and read.*  
  
_You__ come down here, you shall look like the picture on the computer screen of the faceless secretary.  
  
*Razor smiled at the preciseness, but gulped as he slowly turned around. He looked at the screen, and saw the Zero Skull on it. Razor shook his head, speaking to the piece of paper.*  
  
Razor: You know… if you are going to try to scare me, at least be original… the presentation was pretty well-done, though… You set up the scenery and blow it… nice job.  
  
*Razor chuckled, and tossed the paper aside. Sephrinia looked at him, mortified yet again.*  
  
Sephrinia: _Why'd you go and taunt them like that?  
_Razor: Simple, they'd have tried again anyhow… might as well have fun with it.  
Sephrinia *wryly*: _How optimistic…  
_  
*Sephrinia rolled her eyes, and the two headed out of the studio. Razor turned around, and sighed, pulling out his emerald. After a few moments, the fire sprinklers turned on, doing a rather nice job of cleaning the blood off the walls and starting to clean the floors. Only after the pentagram was washed away did Razor turn and leave the studio.*  
  
Location: Los Angeles  
Time: 12:00 PM  
  
*Razor and Sephrinia were waiting alongside Kai when the rest of the group came back. Blitz and Diane, as usual for the day, were asleep on the mighty phoenix's back. Razor just watched as the group came back, then headed into a nearby portal silently, the group following, entering the Cosmic Interstate, en route to Pice to check up on the raccoon._


	26. Late Night Visit

Yay!!! hehe… I'm happy… because this is the last chapter I have to write from memory… and so I'm very happy, and you all should be, too ;-)… I'm almost done! Hurray! haha!  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Pice  
Time: 9:00 PM  
  
*Razor sighed as he saw the hospital just down the street, head hung low in expectation of what was to come. He wanted to check up on the raccoon, sure, but he started feeling like the little guy would never come out of his coma. Razor sighed, pushing the door to the hospital open. He knew it was likely past visiting hours, but he didn't care as he walked up to the secretary, who smiled and confirmed the thought.*  
  
Secretary: _I'm sorry, but the visiting hours were over an hour ago.  
_Razor: Please? We're here to see a very young raccoon with blue blood… he's all alone here, we're really all he has in this… dimension. Please?  
  
*The secretary seemed to roll it around in her head for a moment, then finally let the group of nine through. As always, Kai waited outside, but Blitz and Diane, just recently waking up, followed Razor. Razor came into the room, and stopped cold in the doorway, shocked at the sight he saw…… The raccoon, sitting up in his bed, watching TV with a nervous tendency, and yet a great fascination. He turned to see Razor, and jumped, calming down slightly as he saw who it was, then becoming more tense at the sight of Diane and Blitz. Razor sat down beside the raccoon, and smiled.*  
  
Razor: How you doin', kid?  
Raccoon *stammering*: F-f-f-fi-ine… Wh-wh-whe-ere-re's m-m-m-my m-m-m-m-mom-m-my?  
Razor: She's not here… but I'll take you to her as soon as the doctors let you go… What's your name, I'd hate to keep calling you 'Kid.'  
Raccoon: I w-w-want m-m-my m-m-m-m-mom-m-my!  
Razor: Shh… I know… but for now you have to be good for the doctors… they're just here to help, okay?  
  
*The raccoon nodded, and Razor repeated.*  
  
Razor: What's your name…?  
Raccoon: O-o-ok-ok-im-me…  
Razor: Well… Okime… I'll just see when they're okay with letting you go… I'll get you back with your mother as soon as I can, okay?  
  
*Okime nodded again, and Razor smiled, standing up and catching a doctor at the doorway.*  
  
Razor *motioning to Okime*: Excuse me sir, but what can you tell me about _his ability to leave?   
Doctor: _Well… Roi… we would like to keep him here the night and make sure he's stable… but as long as no new problems develop… he should be able to leave tomorrow, and if there's anything wrong that he needs to stay longer you will know either before 11:00 AM or, if you get here after, it will be waiting for you.  
_Razor: Okay, thank you…  
  
*Razor turned back into the room, and smiled at Okime, sitting down.*  
  
Voice: _Excuse me…  
_  
*Razor turned to see a young female fox standing in the doorway with a hypodermic needle. Razor nodded, and stepped aside. He looked at Okime, and frowned as he saw his eyes widen. As the nurse got near him, he dove under the covers of the bed, dragging a monitor shelf with him. Luckily, nothing fell. The nurse stood their, confused, and smiled.*  
  
Nurse: _I know you don't like shots… But I need to give it to you…  
_  
*Razor frowned further as he saw the sheets start to shiver, and Razor sighed, sitting down on the bed, suddenly realizing why Okime was so afraid.*  
  
Razor: I'm sorry… see the people that stabbed him were foxes… *to Okime* It's okay, Okime… she's not going to hurt you… she wants to help you, Okime…  
  
*Razor felt movement in the sheets, and Okime poked his head out cautiously, right beside Razor. Razor smiled, and gave Okime as good a hug he could give, given the fact that Okime was laying down.*  
  
Razor: Okime… would you like me to hold you?  
  
*The head shook its head no, and Okime came out from underneath the covers, his fur mussed from the static from the sheets. The nurse gave Okime the shot, and walked out of the room, thanking Razor. At the doorway, she stopped, and turned around.*  
  
Nurse: _And I'm sorry, but you should really go... He needs his rest...  
_  
*Razor nodded, and bid Okime goodbye.*  
  
Razor: I'll see you tomorrow, okay?  
  
*Okime nodded, and the group headed out, this time with a smile. Razor, not wanting to get far from Okime, headed to a small hotel near the hospital. Though not the fanciest or cleanest, it was still acceptable, and Razor headed up to the bellhop.*  
  
Razor: Do your rooms have one or two beds?  
Bellhop: _Two, sir.  
_Razor *nodding*: Okay… two rooms please, then.  
  
*The bellhop gave Razor two keys. One read 111, the other, 112. Razor nodded, and headed to the rooms, handing Trevor one key. Trevor, Stryke, and Sparks went into the room, as did Blitz and Diane, though they had no interest in sleeping. Jade, Shade, Razor, and Sephrinia headed into the other room, and Razor looked out the window to see Kai nestling down beside it. Razor slipped his shoes and backpack off, and slipped under the covers. A few moments later, he felt the bed shift, and looked over to see Sephrinia. Razor shrugged, and turned over, quickly falling fast asleep.*  
  
Location: Perfect North Inn, Pice.  
Time: 10:45 AM  
  
*Razor blinked, awakening slowly. As he rolled out of bed, he noticed he was the last in his room to awaken, as usual. He slipped his shoes and backpack on, and headed immediately for the door. He knocked on the other room's door, and the group on the other side of it stood, ready to go. Except for Blitz and Diane, of course, who looked ready for bed. Razor suppressed a chuckle as he saw two tiny puncture wounds on Sparks' neck, reminding himself that Sparks looked perfectly normal otherwise. The group headed out, heading toward the hospital.*  
  
Location: Hospital, Pice  
Time: 10:50 AM  
  
*As Razor arrived in the hospital, Blitz and Diane fell to Kai, snuggling against his back, quickly falling asleep. The rest of the group headed in, and Razor smiled as he saw the vixen nurse from the night before escorting Okime to him. Razor signed the forms that were given to him, and turned immediately out of the hospital, looking for a portal, soon finding one, and jumping through.*_


	27. Okime's Reunion

Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor smiled, looking at Okime, who suddenly grew darty-eyed.*  
  
Okime: Where are you taking me?  
Razor: I'm taking you home… well, if you could describe it to me…  
Okime: Its… its… the sky is green… the ground is blue… When it rains it never hits the ground… The sun is blue…  
  
*Razor nodded, and headed towards Angelique, heading through the portal as they arrived.*  
  
Location: Angelique

Time: 1:00 PM ANGT (Angeliquan Time)

*Razor and his friends walked through a thick forest, looking for Okime's parents. Okime looked as though he felt a million times better just from being in Angelique, his mood sunnier than the green sky that existed at that time. Razor smiled at the warm colors of everything around, and turned to face Okime.*

Razor: Okime… do you know where you live besides on this world?

Okime: … Kinda… my family lives at the bottom of Mount Wikki-Takki…

Razor: Where's that at?

Okime: Mount Wikki-Takki? It's the tallest mountain… I think…

*Razor smiled…*

Razor *thinking*: _Nothing better than a good landmark…_

*Razor and the group exited the forest, and set out to find a mountain range, while Blitz and Diane slept peacefully upon Kai's back. Razor stopped for a moment, and pulled out his emerald, fingering it for a second.*

Razor *thinking*: _If only I could get it to work, I could find his family from above, come back, and teleport him to them…_

*Razor sighed, and tried the spell once again, this time concentrating on a hawk, muttering the forgotten tongue under his breath. As he finished, he saw the emerald glow for a second, and Razor tensed himself for a blast. But the emerald only glowed for a second, then the glow lost its luster. Just as Razor was starting to sigh in frustration, he felt a pulse go through his arm, and looked down to see feathers beginning to sprout from what were going from arms to wings. Razor smiled happily for a moment as the spell finished its course, and he looked up at the group from the body of a red-tailed hawk. Razor concentrated for a moment, and sent Stryke a quick message before starting to fly off.*

Razor *thought-speak*: _Tell the group to stay put, I'll return when I find Okime's parents._

Stryke: How did you… 

*Stryke couldn't finish his sentence, for Razor was already off, searching for Okime's parents, at the same time rejoicing in his success.*

Sephrinia: _Where's he….?_

Stryke *Stopping*: He's looking for Okime's parents… *talking to group* he told me to have everyone stay here.

*For one reason or another, the whole of the group believed Stryke, and made camp right there. Okime sat down, grabbing his knees and bringing them close to himself. Jade started to sit down by Okime, who hugged her as soon as she did so. She hugged him back.*

Jade: Is there something wrong, Okime?

Okime *shyly*: No… just… thanks…

Jade: You are quite welcome, Okime

Location: Angelique, near a mountain range

Time: 1:14 PM

*Presently Razor had just crossed a river mid-flight, and was presently faced with a mountain range. With his improved vision, it didn't take Razor long to find the highest mountain in the range, and he hurried to fly toward it. Razor's arms/wings were tired when he got there, but he didn't care, diving to the bottom of the mountain, perching on a tree to take a look around. After a few moments, he did indeed see a raccoon, but it was looking at him quite nervously.*

Razor *thinking, humored*: _Scared her…_

*Razor searched for his inner voice again, and called out to the raccoon.*

Razor: _Don't worry, I won't hurt you, I just want to ask you something._

*The female raccoon looked around, trying to find the voice. Finding no one around, she looked back at Razor confusedly.*

Razor *stretching a wing to the mountain*: _Is that __Mount__Wikki-Takki__?_

*The female nodded anxiously.*

Razor: _Do you have a child named Okime?_

*A depressed nod. Razor concentrated on his normal image, closing his eyes. A few moments later, a lack of balance told him he was back to normal, and he dropped down from the tree. He saw the woman's eyes go wide for a moment, and he cursed to himself for surprising her like that as she started to turn to run.*

Razor: No no no! Don't go! I know—

Raccoon: Where's my son?

Razor: He's with m—

Raccoon: Take me to… him… I'm sorry… I interrupted you…

Razor *thinking*: _I'm used to it…_ *takes a breath to speak*

Raccoon: Why are you used to it?

*Razor stopped for a moment, and looked at the raccoon for a moment…*

Razor: Ah… a mind-reader, are you?

*The raccoon smiled sheepishly. Razor flipped his emerald around in his hand, and looked at the woman.*

Razor: So Okime's your son?

Raccoon: Yes.

*Razor grabbed her wrist gently, and looked into her eyes.*

Razor: He's with my friends right now; I'll take you to him.

*Razor concentrated, and slowly vanished, taking Okime's mother with him.*

Location: Angelique, back with the group

Time: 1:30 PM

*Razor appeared, the first thing he saw was Jade holding Okime close, her fur tan. Razor looked over to see the raccoon blink a few times, and then smile wide as she saw Okime. Okime saw her, and bolted up, running to her happily, and throwing his arms around her.*

Okime: Mommy!

Raccoon *embracing her child*: Don't worry, I'm here… *noticing scars, eyes wide* What happened?

Razor: Okime was stabbed by—

Raccoon: Stabbed!? Oh my lord! *Holding him closer* Are you okay, Okime?

Okime: I'm okay…

Razor: He's lucky… how he survived that stabbing is a miracle… *interrupting himself* Glad that I was around, that's all I have to say…

Raccoon: Thank you… Thank you Roi…

Razor: It's—

Sephrinia *white *: _Nothing, he does stuff like this all the time…_

Raccoon: You are a saint… thank you so much for finding him… I couldn't find him… *looking at Razor* It was like he fell off the face of the earth…

Razor: Well, I found him in a different dimension…

Raccoon *wearily joking*: That would explain it, wouldn't it?

Razor: Do me a favor, if you would, though, ma'am?

Raccoon: What, Roi?

Razor: Not to be rude, but could you keep a little better track of him? I don't think I could take seeing him lying on the ground like that again…

*The raccoon nodded, and kissed Okime's forehead.*

Raccoon: We should be headed home.

Razor: I could take you back to where I found you if you like…

Raccoon: That's really nice of you, but we can walk… and you sound busy so we'll just be leaving… thank you, Roi…

Razor: Don't mention it…

*As the Okime and his mother started to stand up, Okime whispered something into his mother's ear, who smiled and nodded. Okime came up to Razor, and threw his arms around him. After a few moments, Okime let go, and looked up at Razor.*

Okime: Goodbye…

Razor: Goodbye, Okime…

*Razor sighed happily as the two walked home, and Razor turned to his group, looking at Trevor.*

Razor: You said Angelique, didn't you?

Trevor *smiling*: Yes… I guess this is good-bye for me and you as well…

Razor: I guess it is. Good luck to you, Trevor…

Trevor: You need that luck more than me.

*Razor chuckled, and the two shook hands. Razor headed back, trying to find a portal, and Trevor headed out, in no specific direction. Razor got through the portal, en route to the Quantum Dimension. Razor found the exit, and looked at the rows of portals. He walked down one row, and found the Dallas portal, hopping through*  
  
Location: Outside the old Hero Base, Dallas, TX  
Time: 12:30 PM  
  
*Razor walked up to the small mailbox he had rigged up down the street from the old abandoned factory. He smiled as he saw that there were a couple of things in it: the Thrasher issue he was interviewed in, and a small envelope which undoubtedly held a check in it. Razor took the stuff out, and nearly dropped it as he saw the cover.*  
  
Razor: Whoa! Cover shot!  
Sephrinia: _What?_  
Razor: I got on the cover!  
  
*Razor showed Sephrinia the front page, and without a doubt, it had a shot of him, in the halfpipe, upside down, in the middle of what Razor guessed to be his FS 540.*  
  
Sephrinia *intense purple*: _Cool!_  
  
*Razor smiled, picking up his check and heading to a bank to cash it.* 


	28. The Search Continues

Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor pulled his emerald out, and continued to skate. He didn't talk much, determined to find the last stone. He didn't know where to look, really. He had been a ways already, where should this last gem be? Razor got a sort of idea, and skated off a different way. As he got near the exit to the portal that he saw, he gulped slightly, hoping he was right, though secretly wondering to himself what the angelic gem would be doing in such a vile place.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Hauptsächliches Onde Dimension… God help me… Irony makes sense, here, I hope I'm right…_  
  
*Razor brought himself through the portal, his friends following. The place was frigid, like a meat locker. Snow didn't seem to exist, though, as they looked out at an otherwise green plain. The sky was parched for water, and it took on a parched red hue. There was no sun, it seemed, just this ominous glow that seemed to illuminate the sky evenly. Razor shuddered as he saw something off to the right somewhere, in a forest that seemed to grow despite having no water. It didn't seem to notice him, and Razor went in the opposite direction. He searched through a forest, and felt relieved when it seemed abandoned, though he was still looking around carefully.*  
  
Sephrinia *turning orange*: _Razor, what's wrong?_  
Razor: I do NOT want to run into the locals, that's all…  
  
*Razor continued on, and felt himself suddenly get swept to one side, hitting a tree with incredible force. The tree splintered, and Razor stumbled to the ground, looking up to see a hedgehog, much taller than himself, easily exceeding six feet in height. Its fur was a very dark green, black streaks running randomly over its entire body, and its quills seemed straighter, more like spikes. Its fingers were clawed, as were its shoeless feet. The whites of its eyes were blood red. Razor still had a slight grip on his emerald, and he teleported behind the hedgehog, kicking its feet from beneath it. As soon as Razor stood up, he saw a blood red blur and soon found himself against another tree, pinned down. Razor looked up into the eyes of a red tiger with black stripes. It was very large, easily exceeding seven feet in height, and its tail's end tapered to a spaded point. Razor looked over at his group, and suddenly saw Sephrinia, her shade jet black. He saw Stryke charge at what he could guess to be the other hedgehog, and Razor desperately tried to free himself from the clutches of the tiger. He suddenly felt himself drop to the ground, and sighed with some relief as he saw Jade was the one who ripped the tiger off him. Razor looked at Stryke, and realized that he could use a little help. Razor got around the tiger, and drop kicked the deep green hedgehog in the back of the neck, sending it tumbling into a tree. It looked at Razor, and let out an unearthly growl as it lunged forward. Razor jumped, grabbing the straight quills. Razor immediately let go, though, as pain seared his palms. Razor landed on his feet, and clutched his hands, blood steadily flowing from a laceration in each, where he had grasped the hedgehog's quills. Razor shook the blood off, and Razor closed his hands, with great effort, into fists. The tiger looked at Razor, and took a fast, clawed swipe at Jade, knocking her to the ground. Before she fell, Jade managed a swipe at the tiger, getting it across the chest, the poison sending it staggering slightly, and start to walk off. Razor got an evil look from the hedgehog, and Razor started to dart off, stopping to pick Jade up and set her on her feet. The group ran off, and Razor felt relieved as he found that they were not being followed. They slowed down to a walk, and continued on. Just as they were about to leave the dimension, Razor felt something cool and wet on his back, near his neck. Razor slowly turned around, and saw the nose of a blue humanoid dog… and then two others. Razor shuddered. The creature had three heads, but Razor's heart softened as he realized the creature had little energy. It wagged its tail lethargically, and Razor nervously stroked on of its heads, looking around. It was small, and very thin, and Razor wondered if the creature was a runt. Razor saw it pant for a little, and Razor felt partially relieved that it had teeth. Razor chuckled as the three heads licked his cheeks, and he quickly got them to settle down. Razor looked around again, not really wanting to bring the little cerberus along, afraid of what some might think. He was interrupted in his thoughts when he felt someone tug on his shoulder.*  
  
Stryke: Razor…  
Razor: What?  
  
*Razor was pointed to Jade, who was shivering. Razor nodded, and found a portal, leaving the dimension, the cerberus following. They got up onto the Cosmic Interstate before Jade collapsed, looking half-frozen.*  
  
Razor: What the hell?  
  
*Razor started to look for something to keep her warm, but found nothing, and suddenly noticed the lacerations that she had from the tiger. A steel gray fluid was around the wounds, which were swollen.*  
  
Razor: Poison…   
Stryke: What!? Poisoned!?  
Razor: I wonder… Kai?  
Kai: _Yes, Razor?_  
Razor: Is the myth true about a phoenix's tears being able to heal wounds?  
Kai: _Yes, but it will only seal the wounds… it won't drive the venom out._  
Razor: Damn!  
  
*Razor put his emerald down on the ground, and looked at the wound. Razor shuddered, and leaned in, trying to suck out the venom. It was a long shot, but Razor was a touch desperate. Razor pulled away, spitting out the blood in his mouth, and as he looked back, the wound was completely gone, and Jade was no longer shivering. Something white caught his eye, and as he looked, he saw the emerald glowing white, though the white quickly dissipated. Razor picked up his emerald, and his eyes widened as he saw something in the emerald. He could swear that something in the emerald _winked_ at him.*  
  
Stryke: Are you okay?  
Jade: _Yeah, I'm fine…_  
Stryke: …What the fuck was that?  
Razor: How?  
Stryke: That's what I'd like to know…  
  
*After a moment, Razor shook it off, heading off down the Cosmic Interstate. He looked at his hands, and noticed that they, too, were healed up. Razor shook that off, as well, and continued on.*  
Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor sighed, he had a new companion… and for the first time, he wasn't exactly happy about it. He knew that dimension too well; someone would soon be chasing him down because of this cerberus following him. Razor shrugged it off, and picked another portal. He looked up at the sign, and smiled.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Kalt Dimension... not the best atmosphere, but at least we won't get chased around by crazy gunmen._  
  
*Razor hopped through the portal before him, and the group followed.*  
  
Location: Kalt  
Time: 13:430:21096:4:30 (Kalshan time)  
  
*Razor could immediately hear the clamboring behind him. Stryke nearly immediately spoke up.*  
  
Stryke: Holy sh!t man, its f***in' cold here!  
Razor: -10 degrees Fahrenheit, dude, see?   
  
*Razor pointed to a local bank's clock just as it displayed the temperature. After that display, -23 Celsius was displayed, and then 250 Kelvin. Razor chuckled.*  
  
Razor: Quite thorough, aren't they?  
  
*Razor shook his head, and decided to go into the bank and ask a question or two. As he got inside, he heard more frustrated sighs.*  
  
Blitz: _I guess they haven't invented heat yet._  
Razor: Why would they have the heat on? It's summer here.  
  
*Razor chuckled as he heard something click on above them, blowing fridgid air down on them.*  
  
Razor: Like I said. They just turned their air on.  
  
*Razor turned, and noticed that most of them had decided to take refuge near Kai, who's flame seemed slightly more radiant than normal. Razor chuckled, then shivered, wet clouds coming from his mouth. He went up to the front desk, greeting a human-like creature, though dark blue fur covered his body. Pale green eyes looked out at Razor, greeting him kindly, though with a thick, undistinguishable accent.*  
  
Bank Teller: Heldo sair, chow kite I ve helkint choo?   
  
*Razor looked at the teller for a minute, trying to figure out what was said. Finally catching it, Razor started*  
  
Razor: I'm looking for some information.  
Bank Teller: Vhat eemfoyacion har choo lokint soar?  
Razor: The location of the Agate.  
Bank Teller: See Agat?  
Razor: Yes, the Agate of the Angels.  
Bank Teller: Soreay, Chie hauve mevchar cheard dove suck a ting.  
Razor: Okay, thank you anyways. Goodbye.  
Bank Teller: Vie-vie!  
  
*Razor walked away, and headed out onto the street.*  
  
Stryke: Well, _he_ was a goldmine of information, how did you even know what he was saying?  
Razor: I've been here before, I can catch certain things.  
  
*Razor soon found himself walking very close to Kai himself, trying to keep warm as he searched for the agate. He knew it had to be somewhere, if not on this dimension then somewhere else. After a couple of hours, Razor felt very tired, and he sat down on the chilly ground.*  
  
Razor: We should take a break.  
  
*The group nodded in agreement, and sat down, huddling around Kai. Diane started complaining of the cold, and the cerberus shivered. Sephrinia stayed close to Razor, trying to use him as well as Kai to keep warm.*  
  
Jade: Razor, we should go back. It's too cold here.  
Razor: Which is exactly why I think the Agate is here. It makes sense for such a powerful gem to exist in a hostile environment, that's why I tried Hauptsächliches Onde before here.  
Jade: But wouldn't it fall into the wrong hands then?  
Razor: I'd think so, but the Cosmic Interstate doesn't share my good sense it seems.  
  
*Razor scooted closer to Kai, whose flames were doing quite well keeping the group warm. After an hour or so of rest, the group continued their search. Just as they were getting started, it began to snow. Razor shook his head.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Perfect_…  
  
*Razor sighed as the snow picked up, a quiet blizzard forming quickly. He still pressed on, looking for something, anything. Razor looked over at Kai, who seemed to be doing okay in the storm, though steam was over his head from the heated water that hit his body. Razor tripped over something on the ground, and he turned around, pulling it out of the ground. Razor quickly dropped it as he saw what it was; it looked like a clear chaos emerald, with black swirls moving about inside it. Razor hurriedly headed away from it, and ran straight into an orange Sephrinia.*  
  
Sephrinia: _What's wrong?_  
Razor: Nothing, just I don't want that thing near me.  
Sephrinia *amused*: _It's a rock_  
Razor: No, it's a diamond. The Diamond of the Demons, actually. Let's go. There's no Agate here, not with that vile thing around.  
  
*Razor headed off in one direction, and he quickly noticed that Kai seemed to be struggling, his flames very sporadic in intensity. Razor started back, but it was at least a 4 hour trip to the nearest portal. Razor sighed, and continued on. Kai didn't last another hour before needing to sit. The group rested, and it was only a few moments before Razor saw Sephrinia, glowing orange.*  
  
Sephrinia: _Oh my God, what's happening?_  
  
*Sephrinia looked at him for only another moment before she saw ash slowly settle beneath Kai.*  
  
Sephrinia: _He's dying! Razor!_  
  
*Razor came over, but could only watch as Kai burned to ash. Sephrinia started to cry, but Razor tried to comfort her.*  
  
Razor: Don't you remember, Sephrinia? When a phoenix burns to ash.  
  
*Almost as if on cue, some of the ash formed together, and ignited, forming a small, new phoenix, no bigger than a raven. It started to waddle towards Razor, and Razor picked it up gently. It soon decided to stand upon his shoulder, and he chuckled.*  
  
Razor: Like a parrot.  
  
*The group continued, looking for the portal out of Kalt. The baby phoenix shivered slightly, and Razor sighed.*  
  
Razor *to the phoenix*: I know… we're hurrying, Ollie… Ollie? Yeah, Ollie, you like that name?  
  
*Razor took the phoenix's lack of response as a yes, and continued on, traveling to the portal to the Cosmic Interstate.*


	29. The Agate!

Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor's group only just got out of Kalt when Razor's ears perked at the sound of a raspy voice.*  
  
Voice: I can see you are looking for something.  
  
*Razor looked around, and saw a black fox standing a little ways to one side, and he approached Razor.*  
  
Razor: Yeah.  
Fox: What is this item you seek? It might be that I know where it is  
Razor: I'm looking for the Agate of the Angels.  
Fox: Seems there's always one person a year looking for that thing. But, yes, I know where it is as of now. I'll tell you— for a price.  
Razor: What do you want?  
Fox: Only $60, cash, right now.  
  
*Razor handed over the money, eager to hear the secret.*  
  
Razor: Now where's—  
  
*The fox was already down the road a little ways, and Razor could hear it laughing. Razor sighed, and turned and walked in the other direction. Jade stopped him after only a few steps.*  
  
Jade: You're just going to let him… run off with $60?  
Razor: Yeah… I'm not happy about how he went about it but I would have given to him if we would have just asked.  
Stryke: You're kidding…  
Razor: Not at all… *sigh* There has got to be a better way to look for this gem… I am sick of going door to door and not finding this thing… I just need a clue… or something…  
  
*Razor bowed his head, heaved a second heavy sigh, and walked down one road of the Cosmic Interstate, looking around for clues.*  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Gateway of Randomness  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor was walking throughout, trying to clear his head a little. He was still looking for the Agate, and was searching for a random clue, making where he was at the ideal place to be. He sighed as he walked, trying to find something… anything, but finding nothing. He walked a little longer, and suddenly felt something of a pull upon his soul.  
  
Razor *thinking*: _It's in here, somewhere… somewhere in this gateway._  
  
*Razor let out a cry, frustration being released, and an unbound joy throughout it all.*  
  
Jade: What's wrong, Razor?  
Razor: Nothing is wrong at all, Jade! Its here, I can feel it!  
Jade: How are you going to find it in this place? How can you find anything here? What if you're just feeling something else and its not here?  
Razor: And if it's located here, Jade, I swear I'll find it!  
  
*Razor broke into a run, Ollie upon his shoulder and Stryke, Sephrinia, Blitz, Diane, the Cerberus and Jade following after him.*  
  
Jade: But Roi, why here? There must be other places…  
  
*Razor didn't respond, only sprinted, soon seeing a figure growing on the horizon. He soon saw it to be human… then Halkon. Razor slowed, and walked up to Halkon. He took one look at the object in Halkon's hands and rejoiced.*  
  
Razor: The agate! I… I can't… What would it take!? I **_need_ it!  
  
*The agate glowed blue, a little more intense now, and Halkon looked at Razor.*  
  
Halkon: Why do you want it so much?  
Razor: Please, Halkon, I've been hunting the patron gems for**ever**! I'm trying to get my brother out of Hell and I can't do it without that gem! You have to let me have it!  
  
*Halkon hesitated, then handed the gem over to Razor. The gem glowed red some, and Razor smiled as he felt a sensation in his hands, as if the gem were turning in them, getting cozy. Razor turned to face everyone, and Stryke eyed the gem with a certain awe. He suddenly ran forward.*  
  
Stryke: Let me see it!  
  
*As soon as Stryke touched the gem, he was blasted back into the others in the group. Jade chuckled, helping to catch Stryke, and Razor looked at the gem, which re-established his reddish glow. Razor turned to them, and shook his head, headed back from the direction which they came. A portal suddenly opened to their right, and Razor and his friends hopped through it before it closed.***


	30. Sweet Sixteen?

Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor looked about, finding exactly where he was, and smiled, looking at Jade and the rest of the group. Ollie still stayed upon his shoulder, and the Cerberus walked alongside him, sniffing at Razor and the gem. He recoiled suddenly, and Razor pet one of the Cerberus's heads with his free hand, gently. It recoiled again, and ran. Razor raised an eyebrow, walking off towards the Spiritis Dimension. It started at a light trot, but the closer they got to the dimension, the slower Razor set the pace. Razor was practically standing still as he arrived at the portal to Spiritis, whose letters were written in a mystical wisp fashion upon the sign. Razor paused, and turned to face his group, nervously addressing them.*  
  
Razor: Look, I am grateful for the help I have received from you all so far. Now it is the time to enter the Lion's Den. I've secretly dreaded this time, and I'm sure I am not alone in that feeling.  
Stryke *interrupting*: Are you telling me that Hell is right on the other side of that portal?  
Razor: …No…  
Stryke: Then why not save this for then?  
Razor: Because I am offering all of you an easy chance out. *pointing to his left* Pice is in that direction, Jade, Sephrinia, Blitz, Diane. I will completely understand if you do not wish to follow me further.  
Sephrinia: _Nonsense, Razor!_  
Jade: We're with you until the end!  
Blitz: _Yeah!_  
Razor: If you so wish. *pointing to his right* Stryke, Diablo is in that direction if you wish to leave now.  
Stryke: I'm offended… you think I'd desert my best friend?  
Razor: So be it. I am honored to have friends as loyal as this.  
  
*Razor turned around, and headed into the portal, heaving a heavy sigh, entering the Spiritis dimension.*  
  
Location: Spiritis  
Time: 4:00 PM  
  
*Razor looked about, taking in the scenery of the dimension. The dimension looked remarkably similar to a city, that had properties of cities from all the dimensions Razor had ever visited. He glanced up at the side, and saw a beautiful day, way off in the distance, barely visible, seeing something gold. Razor sighed, and walked about, trying to find someone who looked like they knew where everything was. He saw a rather energetic looking fox, and approached her. She turned about, and jumped as she saw that he was following her.*  
  
_Fox: Oh! You scared me… do you need some help?_  
Razor: Yes… I need some directions…  
_Fox: Oh, well, its easy enough to get there, you just go up…_  
Razor: That's not where I need to go…  
  
*An awkward silence followed this, the fox seeming as though she didn't understand.*  
  
Razor: I know that this might sound odd, but could you direct me to the gates of Hell?  
_Fox *suddenly serious*: Listen to me, I don't care what they offered you, b—_  
Razor: No, no, they didn't offer me anything… It's just that my brother… he doesn't deserve to be down there… he was kidnapped.  
_Fox: And you are going to try and get him out? You have no chance, I suggest you just forget about your brother… he's gone._  
Razor: I'm not alone, I have my friends behind me… skilled fighte—  
_Fox: It doesn't matter… even with the five behind you that's still at least 100 demons to take on… there's no use in you and your friends ending up imprisoned just because you decided to be a hero._  
Razor: Well I'm in Hell right now just knowing where my brother is. I have nothing to lose, now how can I get there?  
_Fox *submissively*: Go straight for a few miles, turn left where the road forks, you should still be in a city setting. Look for a subway station entrance that is glowing red. Descend the staircase, its several hundred steps. The gates of Hell should then be right in front of you. But don't tell anyone no one ever cautioned you._  
  
*Razor thanked the fox, and headed off in the direction she instructed him to go. It was a couple hours before they arrived at the fork in the road, and Razor turned left like the fox instructed. Sephrinia was walking beside him, and struck up conversation.*  
  
Sephrinia *black with fear*: _I… can't believe where we are about to go…_  
Razor: Me either… but… if you are so afraid… stay up here… I'd rather it anyhow.  
Sephrinia: _No… I want to go with you…_  
Razor: What I don't want is to have to explain to your parents why you'll never be coming home… I just couldn't do it… if **I** even come back.  
Sephrinia: _You treat me like I'm helpless!_  
Razor: I'm sorry, but I've never seen you fight, and it worries me…  
Sephrinia: _Of course… I understand that… just… I want to be by your side, even if I can't do much to harm a demon, I still want to be with you._  
  
*Razor could see the subway station which was glowing a blood-lush red, and shuddered at the thought of entering it. He could feel his soul weighted down by sin just by being as close to it as he was. Razor sat down on a nearby bench, and watched the subway entrance. The others sort of sat around as well, Sephrinia on the bench beside him, but a little away from him. Razor sighed, continuing to look at it. He pulled out the other three patron gems, looking at the agate. He sighed again.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _How am I going to use something that I don't know how to work?_  
  
*Razor palmed the four gems in his hand, and bowed his head. He sighed heavily, and opened his palm, only seeing a mix of white, green, red and gold colors on his hand. He touched the colors, and it only felt like his fur. The colors seemed to drain down into his hand, disappearing, and Razor looked at his arm, watching as his veins seemed to vanish beneath his fur.*  
  
Razor: What the h--------…  
  
*Razor couldn't make the word come out of his mouth. It just didn't catch in his mouth, and a burning sensation filled his mouth. Razor coughed, and blinked a couple times. He froze in fright. After a few moments of nothing happening, Razor calmed down, and looked back to Hell. He tried to figure out how to defeat what lay within, but suddenly realized that he couldn't figure anything out. He had no clue how to go about this. He had defeated hydras in Mysin, chased off foxes in Anima-Ubel. He even nearly killed a Hauptsächliches Ondenean hedgehog, which was to him pretty much a demon's pet. But he had never had to deal with this before.*  
  
Jade: Razor, what's wrong?  
Razor: ……I can't do it…  
Jade: What?  
Razor: I can't do it, there's no way! I don't have the experience! I… I mean… they'll run right through me…  
Jade: Listen to me! You've been working up to this point for nearly a year… and now you are just going to turn around and pack up? No! I won't let you!  
  
*Razor bowed his head.*  
  
Razor: It's not that simple… *suddenly angered* Life isn't that simple Jade! Stuff happens that can't be controlled! Realizations can be made when it is almost too late! I can't do it, Jade! I just can't!  
  
*Razor suddenly sighed, and tears welled up in his eyes. From behind him, he heard a gentle voice. He knew it not. The voice was soft, but yet it was very clear, and was easy to understand, speaking sweetly.*  
  
_Voice: Roi…_  
  
*Razor blinked, and slowly looked over his shoulder. Sephrinia was off the bench, mouth agape, looking directly at something behind him. Razor craned his neck a little farther, and saw a white glow near him, the outline of a woman, with angelic wings visible through the aura. He could see her waist-length auburn hair and her warm gold eyes. Razor immediately looked away. A few moments later, he froze as he felt the angel's hand fall to rest on his shoulder. His heart started pounding in his chest, and he could soon feel the side of her leg right beside him, but not touching.*  
  
_Angel: Be not afraid, Roi… I'd never think to harm you… Being alone on your birthday… nobody deserves that._  
  
*Razor blinked. He couldn't believe it. Already he was another year older? Oh how the months had flown by. He wasn't sure what she meant by alone, for if he was alone now, he was alone at the hero base last year, and alone in his house looking at his dead family the year before. He soon found himself sitting on the bench correctly, and she smiled down at him. She reached over the side of the bench, and Razor looked over slightly as he saw her pull back something white and long and thin; a quarterstaff of some kind. It glowed with the same color it held itself, and she held it out to him.*  
  
_Angel: I'm sorry I have not made myself known to you earlier. I am your guardian, Roi, and my name is Kyria. Let me make it up to you. I'd like to wish you a Happy Birthday, but I know it will not come true. Please accept this gift, however._  
  
*Razor looked at the quarterstaff, which was about as tall as he was; the appropriate length. He could feel warmth and comfort radiating from the staff, but suddenly looked at Kyria and recoiled from it.*  
  
Razor *sadly*: I… I can't take it… I-I d-don't deserve to take it… I d-don't even deserve to l-look at you.  
  
*Razor turned his glance away from her, soon feeling a feathered wing slide behind his back, just as he started to lean back in his seat. Razor practically jumped up as he leaned forward, but the wing just followed him, hugging his back. He heard Kyria chuckle in a way that spoke of insight*  
  
_Kyria__: This is what I like about you, Razor. You are so modest, and one of the sweetest I've seen for a while. And no matter what you think in that head of yours, you deserve this. Not just that, but you need it. No doubt you understand why.  
  
*Razor didn't move for a bit, and then slowly started groping about for the quarterstaff, still not wanting to look at her.*  
  
_Kyria___: And you can look at me? In fact, please, look me in the eyes.  
  
*Razor did as he was told, slowly gripping the blessed quarterstaff in his hands. He started to pull it close, but Kyria held it firm still.*  
  
_Kyria___: There is no reason for you to be afraid of me. One of the many reasons I have yet to make myself known to you until now is that you've never needed my help before. That's an innocence that even the most powerful curse can't take away from you. All I want you to do now, to receive this, is one request: just give me a hug, Roi, show me that innocence that I know you for.  
  
*Razor nervously looked up into her eyes, seeing the small smile on her face. He let go of the quarterstaff, and slowly wrapped his arms around her, embracing her. He felt her wings close around him, and Razor suddenly felt relaxed. He didn't see that hell was only a few steps away, not even in his mind.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _If this is a test, God, you are just not being fair._  
_Kyria___: Why would you think God would test you like this?  
Razor *concerned*: I don't know… this just feels too good to be true.  
_Kyria___: Well it is quite true, Roi.  
  
*Razor could feel her wings rub against his quills gently, and soon they were behind her. Razor took a deep breath, looking back at Hell.*  
  
_Kyria___: Good luck, Razor. I cannot go down there, but I'll be waiting up here when you come back.  
  
*And that fast, Razor saw Kyria vanish into just a white wisp in the air. The quarterstaff was his, and he looked back at the group, standing.*  
  
Razor: Let's go…  
  
*Razor took a deep breath, and took his first step down into the glowering staircase, then another, then another. He looked back, and saw Sephrinia, Jade, Blitz, and Diane all behind him, Ollie still on his shoulder. Stryke was still on the surface, standing looking down at him from the surface. Razor could tell Stryke had no desire to come down, so he left Stryke alone, continuing down the subway staircase. It was soon too dark to see, and Razor pulled his emerald out, fingering it slightly. Soon his eyes could be easily seen as he looked back, and he could see perfectly clear. He turned around, and cast the same enchantment on the entire group, including Ollie. He turned back around, and continued down into the abyss.*_


	31. Into the Lion's Den

Location: A "Subway" Staircase in Spiritis  
Time: 8:30 PM  
  
*Razor continued walking down the staircase. Every step he took, he gripped the quarterstaff in his hand a little bit tighter. Every step he took, the air about him got a little bit hotter. It must have been the 130th step down when he stopped, and looked down the staircase: He still couldn't see the bottom. He looked at the walls, which were painted red in a fashion that made him wonder if it was actually paint upon the walls. He shuddered at the thought, and continued down. He heard a couple chuckles behind him, and started to turn to face them. He suddenly felt a hand on his left shoulder pull him toward the group, and he jumped a mile into the air, turning the rest of the way in mid-air, landing in a defensive stance. He saw Diane looking at him with an amused look on her face. Sephrinia, who was white, and smiling and chuckling.*  
  
Razor: Sephrinia, please don't encourage her.  
Sephrinia: _I'm sorry, it's… just… you should have seen your face!_  
  
*Sephrinia suddenly shrieked, turning around. Jade was behind her, and was chuckling.*  
  
Jade: It looked kinda like that.  
Sephrinia: _That is NOT funny, I thought you were a—_  
  
*Sephrinia suddenly turned blue, and bowed her head, turning around.*  
  
Sephrinia: _Okay, I get it… I'm sorry…_  
Razor: You aren't the one who did it… Blitz, please keep an eye on Diane… I don't want to have her doing that all the way down… I'd like to not lose my sanity until after we get out if that's okay with you.  
  
*Sephrinia chuckled slightly, her color going from blue to black as she returned to her usual state of fear in the staircase. Razor turned around, and the group continued down. After what felt like an eternity, Razor could see the bottom of the stairs, and it was blazing hot. So hot that the air looked as if it were boiling to get higher into itself. Razor looked on the walls, and saw all sorts of haunting writings upon the walls. Most were in English, and looked to be frantic writings by people getting drug down. He saw the message several times: "What did I do, God?" Razor shook off the disturbing thoughts that entered his mind, and as he got to the bottom, he stopped cold in his tracks. He was so close to the gates he could almost touch them; they were less than thirty yards away. His eyes wandered to the skies uncertainly, and he jumped as he saw unevolved vampire bats… millions of them… billions of them. Razor remembered that when he had talked to the angel, it was near sunset, and he saw the bats start flying out of the area, through the staircase. Razor shuddered as the nearly endless line of them flew out, and wouldn't move after they left until some time after. Blitz smiled at him awkwardly, and patted Razor on the shoulder.  
  
Blitz: _Relax Razor… don't worry… you can do it man… I know you can._  
  
*Razor suddenly had a thought, and spoke his mind.*  
  
Razor: Blitz, maybe you and Diane should go up… especially Diane, I don't want to see someone so young dying… in here of all places.  
Blitz: _Don't worry, we've got it figured out what we are going to do if demons spot us._  
Razor: Are you sure?  
Blitz: _Yes…_  
Razor: Does it involve pretending to try to harm any of the others?  
Blitz: _No_  
Razor: Okay then…  
Sephrinia: _What, exactly, is our plan, Razor?_  
Razor: Hmm… well, I know one thing for sure: that fox's estimate of how many would be down here is ridiculously under what is likely. I suggest that we try to take to stealth. How to do that, I am not sure. I know that it is likely that the place that my brother is being held… *pointing through the gates* is right there.  
  
*Sephrinia gasped as she saw what Razor was pointing at: a colossal, palace-looking place that loomed on the horizon. Even from the distance, you could tell that it was ancient, for its structure spoke a lot of the gothic era.*  
  
Sephrinia: _This isn't going to be easy…_  
Razor: No… it isn't… what I need is for some way for someone to look like they… belong… *looking at Blitz* I hate to patronize you, man, but you look like you could pass as something from here… no offense.  
Blitz: _None taken._  
Razor: What I need you to do, is fly into Hell and search for the best route to get to that place that I pointed to, and estimate about how long it is from here. When I say best route, I mean the one that we shall be able to stealthily accomplish. Try to use deserted back streets to get us there. Just scope the place out and come back and lead us on our way. Now, my guess is that the gates themselves have demons waiting, so we need to be ready. Sephrinia, stay with Jade. Jade, you'll be the last to enter. When Blitz comes back he shall tell you where we are going to be going when we break the line, and we shall wait for you, probably in some refuse container, if one exists. When we all are there, Blitz will tell us of the course of action, and we'll be on our way. Are there any questions, because we need to wait for Blitz to get back and tell us of how to get to that palace as stealthily as possible?  
Diane: _I have one, how do you know your brother is in that building?  
_Razor: It's a hunch, really. I hope I'm right.  
  
*It was maybe 3 minutes later, and Blitz landed beside Razor, who was sitting down.*  
  
Blitz: _Razor, we're in luck. There is a side alley first left into the gates of Hell. This alley goes into an alley, about half a mile later, which goes up near the palace that we are seeing. There is, ironically enough, some sort of thing up the side of the building there. It looks like a fire escape, no lie. We can climb this fire escape and onto the roof of some demon's home, and roof hop for the half a mile it takes to get over near the palace. Then it is simple as finding a way down, then climbing over the fence around the palace. The grounds of the palace are not well guarded on the outside, it seems, but some passer-bys might see us and attack, and so we need to be on our guard. The total distance we travel is probably about 3 miles if we do this._  
Razor: Excellent, Blitz… Absolutely excellent. Did everyone hear that?  
  
*Everyone nodded*  
  
Razor: Jade, look for us in that first left that he told us about when you get through the first. There might be a bit of a battle ahead of us just to get in, but then we might breathe slightly easier until we are upon the roofs. However, nobody is to at any time put their guard down, which I doubt I need to say, since I think adrenaline will take care of that. Now, once we get into the alleys, unless somebody has something of dire importance to say, they are not to talk, since we are trying to remain silent. Are we ready?  
  
*Everyone nodded, Razor flipped the quarterstaff around in his hands, holding it readily in one hand, ready to use it at a moment's notice like a club.*  
  
Razor: Let's go!  
  
*Razor turned to the gates, and walked toward them. Sephrinia was beside Jade, who was behind Blitz and Diane, who were beside Razor. As Razor got closer, he drew a deep breath, ready for the battle that would ensue shortly to get through the gates into the land of the damned.*


	32. Battle on 66th Street

Location: Spiritis Dimension: Hell's Gate  
Time: 9:05 PM  
  
*Razor calmly gripped the quarterstaff which was given to him by Kyria as he took his first step into Hell. He could see a couple demons; off slightly. They looked quite different from what Razor expected: no horns, no tails… they looked so… human… well, except for their colors, and the men having scales… and of course their wings and slit eyes. But those seemed the only differences. He suddenly heard some murmuring to his left, and it was quite clear, though it was in a different language.*  
  
_Demon:_ U xuhd n'tar muyi sit up sit ioiruid?  
  
*Razor raised an eyebrow at the odd language, trying to decipher it. Suddenly he heard a different voice echo in his head. It sounded pure, and it spoke in his language.*  
  
_Voice: He said "You wish to take him and his friends?"_  
Razor *after a pause, whispering*: Who are…  
_Voice: No need to fear… I am yours to command…_  
Razor: How did you…  
_Voice: Know what they're saying? I know all languages. And so I shall translate for you._  
Razor: But who are you?  
_Voice: Remember that glow of color? Remember the reds, the whites? … I am the spirit of the agate.  
Demon:_ Ainati u.  
_Voice: "After you." I suggest you start running._  
  
*Razor nodded, and turned around, jerking his head, then starting to run. Sure enough, his friends started running as well, but Razor suddenly felt himself fly off his feet, landing on the ground hard. Razor scrambled to his feet, poising his quarterstaff forward. He saw a rather tall figure in front of him, easily exceeding 7', and it was quite muscular. Razor pushed his quarterstaff forward to the demon, which dodged away from it, taking another swing at Razor. Razor ducked, and swiped the quarterstaff at the demon's legs. He made contact with its knees, and he felt the skin give way to the light in the staff. Razor continued pushing it through, and it passed through everything but the bone like a hot knife through butter, and the bone, a steak knife through potato. Razor continued through until the demon fell to his knees, unable to stand from the pain. Razor took a quick stab at the demon's shoulder, and the demon groaned. Razor kicked the demon in the chest, knocking him back; he wasn't going to get up for a while. Razor felt himself get tackled from behind, and turned as he fell, holding his quarterstaff in front of his face. He felt a searing pain roll up his left leg, and heard a slight crunch, but he ignored the pain, pushing the quarterstaff forward into that demon. It didn't seem to notice until the staff touched its black heart, where it exploded in white flame, burning to oblivion. Razor flipped onto his feet, and saw that the group was near enough and was doing a fairly good job with the other demons, which saw the dying demon and assumed Razor was the ringleader, starting toward him from all directions. Razor waited for just the right time, and swiped his staff all around. Cuts formed on all of the guard demon's thighs, and something unexpected happened: a wave of white shot out in the degrees he swung his staff, blasting the demons back, melting the front portion of their flesh. Razor's eyes widened in disbelief, and he heard a laugh in his head.*  
  
_Agate: Bravo! Let's take the opportunity!_  
  
*Razor ran down the alleyway, and his friends soon followed. Razor saw a dumpster, and dove inside it, waiting for the others. It wasn't long before they were all there, and Razor slowly climbed out of the dumpster. He walked gingerly on his left leg, and Sephrinia looked at him, mostly black with fear, though an orange streak was on her shoulders.*  
  
Sephrinia: _Are you okay?_  
Razor: I'm fine…  
  
*Sephrinia touched his leg, and he winced.*  
  
Sephrinia: _It's broken!_  
Razor: That's nice, now let's go.  
Sephrinia: _You expect to do this on a broken leg?_  
Razor: Don't worry I've got another one.  
  
*Razor limped through the alley at an alarmingly fast pace, and soon turned the corner Blitz had talked about. Razor was passing under a window when he heard something familiar.*  
  
Familiar Voice: "You've Got Mail!"  
  
*Razor looked up, and pulled himself up so he could see through the window. There he carefully observed a demon sitting at a computer, the initials "A-O-L" in the upper left corner of the screen. Razor looked more carefully, and saw a black Compaq Presario was the demon's computer of choice, and it worked at an alarming pace, never freezing. Razor looked at the mail, and gulped as he read, the voice translating it for him.*  
  
_Voice: "Attention all fighters, conjurers, alchemists, and scientists: we are being invaded by a posse of humanoid creatures. One seems harmless, only along for the journey. Female. Coloration: Black. Looks of a breed of hedgehog. Another, a breed of leopard humanoid, has high combat talents, and should not be taken lightly…"  
_  
*Razor stopped reading, and dropped down, looking back at the group.*  
  
Razor: They know we're here, we gotta book to get to the rooftops.  
  
*Razor turned, and limped-ran down the alleyway, glad to see solid wall on either side, except for the occasional door or window. Razor continued on, and he soon saw two figures off in the distance. Razor gulped, and kept on. They soon saw him, and broke in a sprint towards him, even taking off the ground. Razor kept running, and waited in his mind. As they got near, Razor held up his quarterstaff, and almost chuckled as the demons flipped over, landing flat on their backs, their face smashed in and bleeding black. Razor blinked as he saw one to be a woman, but when he saw neither of them shaken, he stopped caring about the fact. The man pulled a bastard sword on Razor, and Razor jumped over the blade as it took a swing his way. Razor landed too much on his left leg, and twitched it up gingerly. He felt a searing pain go down his right side, and he looked to see blood, and a blade being removed. Razor groaned, and pushed his staff into the demon's chest, finding himself smiling as the white flames burst about him. As the first demon fell, he plunged the staff into the demoness's chest, not giving her the chance to attack, turning and walking away from the burning bodies, clutching his side, pained. He shook it off, and continued on through the alleyway, the 'fire' escape within visual range.*  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Hell  
Time: 10:30 PM  
  
*Razor limped up to the 'fire' escape, and looked at the ladder. He turned to look at Blitz*  
  
Razor: Are you sure about this one?  
Blitz: _Of course… just gotta get to the roof without alerting those in the building…_  
  
*Razor nodded, and climbed up the ladder carefully, wincing every other rung as he put all his pressure on his left. Nonetheless, he worked quickly, getting to the first landing of the escape and lying down, facing the ground. He clambered beneath a window to get to the next ladder, and saw everyone else do the same. Jade was the last to go beneath the window, tucking her tail beneath her and prowling quickly beneath. Razor climbed up some more, looking up: there was this ladder, and two others before the roof, and Razor sighed, climbing up the ladder. He repeated the same process again, and was now two away from the roof. He didn't take a break, and continued up the final two sets of ladders, and fell onto the roof of the building silently. Razor could see an enormous building a ways down the line of buildings: it was black and gothically designed. The palace. Razor limped toward the edge of the building that faced it, and sighed. It was about a five foot hop. Razor took a step back, and rocked painfully onto his broken leg, lunging onto his good one and jumping over the chasm, landing on his hands on the other side and rolling to his feet. Razor limped around to face the others, and watched as the rest of the group managed over. Razor suddenly remembered something, and pulled out his emerald. He didn't know how it was done, but he hoped for it.*  
  
Razor _*_thinking*:_ Come on… please work… whatever it takes to protect my friends… come on… come on…  
  
*A burst of white energy suddenly shot forth from the emerald, and Razor looked up to see it surround his friends, then look as it seemed to be absorbed into them. Razor breathed a sigh of relief, and turned, heading over to the next edge.*   
  
Razor *thinking, directed at emerald*: _Thank you  
_  
*This one was a little farther, and Razor took another leap. Razor had to grab hold of the ledge this time, and as he pulled himself up, he almost lost his grip as a sudden pain shot up his already broken leg. He looked down, seeing blood raining from the foot, a demon standing beneath him holding a gun, taking aim a second time. Razor climbed up onto the next roof, and looked at the bottom of his foot. He carefully removed the bullet in it, and dropped it immediately. It was surrounded by an aura of red flame, and Razor continued on. He didn't get far across the roof before he felt something hot against his back, knocking him to the ground. A searing pain was there, and Razor turned to see a demon, holding a flame in his left hand. Razor held his quarterstaff forward, limping towards the demon, who blasted him back with a second burst of flame. Razor beat out the flames on his chest, looking at his now-singed chest for a moment, before thrusting the quarterstaff forward. The demon grabbed hold of it, flipping it around, and soon Razor was looking up from the ground again. The demon dropped the quarterstaff almost immediately, starting to laugh.*  
  
Demon: Opruthafi!  
Agate: _"Pitiful"_  
  
*Razor grimaced in pain and anger, and whipped the quarterstaff around suddenly. The demon jumped over it, and Razor smiled sickly as he stopped the quarterstaff mid-swing, angling it up. The demon landed, legs open, the quarterstaff piercing up between his legs. The demon growled in anger and pain, grabbing Razor by the neck and lifting him off the ground.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Big mistake._  
  
*Razor thrust his quarterstaff forward, and watched as the white flames danced into the demon's heart, spreading over his body. The grip soon fell, and Razor limped over the edge. He could hear a couple chuckles from behind him, and he looked back, seeing Jade stifling laughter.*  
  
Razor: What? What's so funny?  
Jade: You'r-hore starting to look like Stryke.  
  
*Razor recalled the char that was likely on his back as well as his front, and chuckled. Razor hopped to the next roof, and saw that the palace was only separated from his location by another roof. Razor neared the edge, and jumped over again, this one managing to land on his feet, looking back at the group, watching as they got over. Razor walked over to where the palace grounds were, and dropped to the cement as he got near the edge, crawling to peer over. He could see all sorts of what looked like guards to the palace. None of them knew he was there, but there were other demons collecting outside the palace grounds. It was obvious they knew he was going for the palace, and were waiting for him to try and climb the fence. Razor sighed.*  
  
Razor: Sephrinia, I want you to stay up here. Blitz, Diane… keep the demons outside the fence busy. Jade, come with me.  
  
*All nodded, but Sephrinia protested. It was in vain, however, and Jade and Razor jumped off the roof, trying to clear the fencing around the palace. Jade landed on her feet, clearing the fence, having a good five feet between herself and the fence. Razor stretched his jump till it bled, his right arm smacking into the fencing, and he flipped over, landing in a pyre that was burning nicely. Razor rolled out of it, getting to his feet. He looked at his right arm, and winced as he saw it bent in an unreal fashion, the bone poking from his elbow slightly. He ignored it, running toward the palace, holding the quarterstaff as tight as he could in each hand. He suddenly saw a hole… a very large, gaping hole, and he smiled slightly, walking over to it. He looked at Jade, and shrugged.*  
  
Razor: Wait for a moment; I have an idea to get inside.  
  
*Razor pulled out his emerald, concentrating, murmuring a small spell and hoping for the best. It wasn't long before he felt himself beginning to grow; but as he grew, his injuries remained, and he kept his weight off of what was now his right foreleg. The quarterstaff dropped to the ground, as did the emerald. He looked at Jade as the last bit of characteristics to a black dragon took form.*  
  
Razor: _Take the emerald and quarterstaff, and climb on my back._  
  
*Jade nodded, and did as was told. As she climbed onto his back, Razor dove into the hole, expecting to be taken to the dragon pits of the palace. Sure enough, he soon saw many more dragons, and he saw a private area of the room. As he landed, he instructed Jade to get off, turning back into his other form, half wishing that he knew how to heal himself, but shaking it off, taking the emerald and quarterstaff from Jade. Razor and Jade could see bright as day still, and they snuck through the pits, which only had dragons in it at the time. Most of them didn't bother to attack them, the rest didn't see them. As he got to the stairs up, the two slowly ascended the stairs into the palace.*_


	33. Razor's Reunion

~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Hell, Palace  
Time: 3:30 AM  
  
*Razor just wanted to stop as he got to the top of the first staircase. He had easily gone up a mile, and he just wanted to rest. He looked back at Jade, who was feeling the same way, generally, and the two sat for a small spell, after a few minutes rising again. Razor limped on, and looked through a doorway, his heart stopping as he saw what lay on the other side of the doorway. There were two thrones on the far side of the next room, treasures laid all about. Razor shook his head and continued on, soon seeing another staircase up.*  
  
Razor: You've got to be kidding me…  
  
*Razor sighed, and started up again. This one didn't take quite as long, probably only a 300 yard ascent. Razor stopped at the top and looked around. All he saw were rooms, and a big hallway. Not many demons were out and about, and Razor chuckled at the thought of them all being asleep. Razor continued up the next flight of steps, and winced as he suddenly heard an alarm go off. Razor hurried up to the top floor, but was stopped as demons came running down the steps. Razor was waiting for them, and when one suddenly stopped, the one behind him ran into him, knocking the first right into Razor's readied quarterstaff, and he fell to the ground in a white inferno. Razor smiled softly to himself, and positioned his quarterstaff again, starting to run directly into the demons in front of him. They all dropped to one side or another to either get out of the way or die.*   
  
Location: Hell, 1st Floor Palace  
Time: 4:50 AM  
  
Razor got to the top, and saw a prison-like set, guards and sentries and torturers looking over the people, not letting them get comfortable enough to maybe rest.*  
  
Razor: Bingo…  
  
*Razor walked forward, looking in each cell, for his brother*  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Hell, 1st Floor Palace  
Time: 5:00 AM  
  
*Something caught Razor's eye in one of the cells. He didn't recognize the figure, but it looked more solid than the other spirits in there. It suddenly dawned on Razor that the hedgehog was still alive, but in terrible shape. Razor limped into the cell, using his quarterstaff for a crutch, and walked up to the chained-down hedgehog. He looked at the chains for a moment, and shrugged.*  
  
Razor *to himself*: It worked on everything else…  
  
*And with that, he swatted at the chains with the quarterstaff. To his surprise, the chains broke, and fell to the ground. The hedgehog rubbed his wrists, and looked at Razor, smiling slightly.*  
  
Hedgehog: Hey, thanks Razor… I didn't think you'd find me…  
Razor: How did… you know my name?  
Hedgehog: Don't you remember me man? It's me, Garret…  
Razor: Garret? Wha… What on earth are you doing here?  
Garret: I… I followed you—  
Razor: You _what_!?!? How could you… anybody be that stupid!? Are you color blind, did you not see the red glow around that subway station!?  
Garret: I know… I…   
Razor: …Wasn't thinking, that's what!  
Garret: I'm sorry man, I didn't think you'd get so bent…  
Razor *to self*: … Alright, alright… I need to calm down… I need to just stop… clear my mind…  
  
*Razor pulled out his emerald, and remembered what it took last time… Razor smiled as he felt the white glow come beneath his fingers, in the emerald, and shot the energy to Garret. The white glow globed around Garret, then sunk in. Garret raised an eyebrow, but Razor had no time to explain.*  
  
Razor: Follow me…  
  
*Razor limped out of the cell, and headed down the hall some more. He saw a patrolman come down the hallway, spot him, and break into a sprint. Razor waited. As the demon got close, pouncing, Razor ducked, sticking his quarterstaff straight into the air. Razor winced slightly as a drop of the demon's blood hit him, burning through his skin. Razor rolled away, and shuddered as he saw the demon fall in two halves behind Jade and Garret. Not wanting to risk further problems, Razor found the demon's heart, and plunged the staff into it, watching as the two halves caught light. Razor limped off in the direction he was going, looking through the cells, not getting much luck.*  
  
Location: Hell, 1st Floor Palace  
Time: 10:00 AM  
  
*Razor glanced into a cell, which was near the main entrance, and blinked when he saw his brother, drooping, chained to a wall, which held him standing… Razor breathed a sigh of relief mixed with pity, slipping into the cell. Streak offered a confused look when Razor came in front of him, but nothing more, except a cough. Razor smiled, and patted Streak on the shoulder, removing his hand as Streak's shoulder jerked, obviously pained by the touch. Razor tried the same trick he tried on Garret's chains, but the chains on Streak stayed fast. Razor looked on the chains for some sort of lock or hint, and on the lock he saw an engraving. As he read, the Spirit of the Agate suddenly paraphrased it, telling him what to do.*  
_Agate: You have to freeze the lock before being able to remove it in any way._  
  
*Razor nodded, and pulled out his emerald, concentrating carefully. Streak looked at him, amused. It was nearly a half an hours wait, but eventually Streak winced as the chains froze over. Razor smiled, and took a swing at the frozen chains with his staff. This time, the chains shattered, and Streak rubbed his now-slightly-frostbitten wrists gratefully.*  
  
Razor: Great, now let's get—  
  
*Razor was interrupted by a sudden strike to the chin, propelling him off the ground. Razor cried out as he plowed through the ceiling, landing on the roof. Razor groaned, and rolled to his feet, looking around. He couldn't see anybody, and he slowly backed up. Razor whipped around fast as he could as he felt warm skin hit him. He almost smiled as he saw a completely black demon take the strike, knowing quite well from his dreams who it was. The demon glared at him, and slashed Razor across the face with his claws, which moved so fast that they were only a black blur before Razor rolled over in the air, landing on his back. The quarterstaff went flying, landing at the demon's feet. Razor powered the ground, running in a crawl, getting to the quarterstaff. As Razor grabbed hold of it, he cried out as the demon stomped down on his left hand, crushing it into a permanent grip around the quarterstaff. Razor cried out.*  
  
Razor: Gah! F………  
  
*The burning sensation filled his mouth again, this time a hundred times worse, and Razor paused for a moment, and his sight went red for a moment, quickly dissipating, though the thoughts lingered.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Avenge… bring Lucifer to his knees for what he's done to you…_  
  
*Razor swiped the quarterstaff upward, slicing Lucifer square in his groin area. Razor smiled, jumping to his feet as Lucifer keeled over for a moment, blood dripping from the area Razor struck. Razor drove the quarterstaff forward, but Lucifer grabbed it, and with a pained expression on his face, pushed Razor to one side. Razor lost his balance, and fell back into the hole he had come out of. Razor landed on his back, with a smile on his face, using the quarterstaff to spring back to his feet. Lucifer jumped back down into the hole, and stopped in mid-air as Razor pointed his quarterstaff straight into the air. Lucifer floated down in front of Razor, who replied by taking a swing at Lucifer's head. Lucifer ducked, and Razor turned the quarterstaff over, bashing Lucifer in the back of the head, which gave way to the staff, bleeding profusely. Lucifer was knocked to all fours by the blow, and Razor smiled slightly. Lucifer suddenly vanished in a flash of red, and Razor chuckled, thrusting the quarterstaff behind him, penetrating Lucifer's knee. Razor turned around, and twisted the quarterstaff around, then maneuvering Lucifer back to where he was kneeling. Razor removed the quarterstaff, only to strike Lucifer in the side, taking him to his knees again. Razor almost laughed as he heard Lucifer growl suddenly; a low, threatening growl. It struck Razor as funny, because even though it sounded vicious, it also sounded as though Satan were in great pain. Razor suddenly felt himself get thrown back, landing on a wall, falling, stunned. He saw a figure before him, similarly colored as Lucifer, but with red streaks throughout the skin and wings, and blue eyes. The figure picked Razor up, then dropped him. Razor landed on his feet, and the demon drew a katana to him. Razor swiped his quarterstaff at the demon's side, who jumped over the swipe.*  
  
Demon: Tow bo r'w ralsit!  
_Agate: "Lay off my father"_  
Razor *thinking*: _His… father? Excellent…_  
  
*Razor ducked under a slash of the demon's katana, and drove the quarterstaff upward, splitting the demon's chin slightly. The demon groaned, and Razor spun him around, using his quarterstaff to hold the demon in place. Razor looked from behind the figure, and smiled as he saw Lucifer's eyes widen slightly. Razor stood with a smug smirk, and talked to Lucifer.*  
  
Razor: So this is your son, eh?  
Lucifer: …**Let him go!**  
Razor: Would you be interested in accepting a trade?  
Lucifer: …**A trade…?** *laughs*  
Razor: I have two demands, Lucifer… one is that you let my brother, me, Jade, and Garret go. The other is that you don't let any of the demons outside of this room attack us… let us go back to where we belong. Those two things, and I let your son go.  
Lucifer: **Get real**  
  
*Razor saw Lucifer start to raise a hand, and Razor dug the quarterstaff deeper into Lucifer's son, causing him to cry out in pain.*  
  
Razor: DON'T, MOVE! I see you move one more inch or if you decide to leave my sight I WILL kill him!  
Lucifer: **Okay… fine… I'll grant your first request… you and your friends are free to go… I cannot get all the demons in Hell to not attack you, however. While I do rule them, I do not have that much control over them. I do not have time to escort you.**  
  
*Razor thought for a moment, and smiled*  
  
Razor: What about you escort me off the palace premises and won't let guards from the palace come after me?  
Lucifer: **…Kuroki… do as he asks.**  
Kuroki: But…  
Lucifer *warning tone*: **Kuroki…**  
  
*Kuroki growled, and nodded. Razor let the demon go, and the demon walked out of the cell, waiting for the group to come out. As they came out, he turned, and walked briskly towards the main doors, opening them. The group followed him to the edge of the premises, where he stopped, looking at them all with cold regard. Razor nodded to him, and headed across the street to a fire escape. Most of the crowd had died down, so he didn't have to hurry. He allowed the others in the group to first, and struggled to climb the ladder on his own. He could barely manage it, but he managed to clambor onto the roofs. It was about 1:00 PM. Razor stopped at the top, and sighed.*  
  
Razor *sarcastic optimism*: Only 8 and a half miles to go…  
  



	34. Resolve

  
Location: Hell, Rooftops  
Time: 4:30 PM  
  
*Razor looked at the final chasm he had to cross before getting to the roof they managed to climb up to. He was very tired, and he could barely stand up, but he took a couple limps back, and lunged himself over the chasm, landing face-first. He tumbled over onto himself, and landed on his side, looking over as the rest of the group made their way over the chasm. Razor rolled onto his stomach, wincing as he tried to move his legs underneath him… lying back out. He felt Jade pick him up and set him down, and he looked at her, thanking her wearily. He walked over to the fire escape, seeing a building on the other side of the alley that ran right up to the gates of Hell, making for an easy jump out. He heard soft cries from below, and he looked down perplexedly. He saw a small demon on the ground, next to one of the two bodies. It was jet black, almost shiny in its skin, its eyes a pale yellow. The demon was sitting, pushing against the body, sobbing. Razor frowned, and climbed down the escape to the… obviously young demon. As Razor got to the bottom, he could overhear the demon's young voice through its sobs.*  
  
Young Demon: _Pop? Pop… ma ann, u mallo muyi paxo…  
Agate: "Mom? Mom… come on, you gotta get up…"_  
  
  
*Razor nearly shed tear, and crouched as best as he could next to the kid, who suddenly laid on his mother, sobbing uncontrollably. Razor started to put his arm around the kid, but stopped as he realized he couldn't really let go of his quarterstaff, instead just starting to talk, but stopping as he realized that he had no clue how to communicate to the kid.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _I'd like to comfort him, but how could I say anything to him? He won't understand me…  
Agate: Don't worry about that, I have it covered… just talk to the kid the way you know how…_  
  
*Razor sighed, and started talking…*  
  
Razor: Siw, opef'l, otio'l u acow? ("Hey, kid, are you okay?")  
  
*Razor stopped after he said this, and blinked… did he just say that? The kid looked at him, and just started crying again. As he started talking, he heard it in English instantly now.*  
  
Young Demon: _They won't get up… they won't even move… Mommy feels cold…_  
  
*Razor nodded, and took a deep breath.*  
  
Razor: Xu oti ofuyi. ("They are dead.")  
Young Demon: _Dead? What is dead?_  
Razor: Ul'd xsio u tudi oxoci ta of'xowd xoci paxo. Wae'd datt'w, opef'l. ("It's when you fall asleep and never wake up. I'm sorry, kid.")   
  
*Razor watched as the kid's eyes widened, and soon the kid was crying again. Razor sighed, and offered a small smile.*  
  
Razor: Sax waeom otio'l u?  ("How old are you?")  
Young Demon: _10._  
Razor: Ah… Xs'w pa u ma xulsael wae?  ("Ah… Why don't you come with me?")  
  
*The demon nodded, and Razor smiled.*  
  
Razor *in Xeelix*: _What's your name, kid?  
Young Demon: _Xuen___…  
Razor *in Xeelix: _Well… me and my friends… we're trying to go home… we aren't from here… my friends are on that rooftop… why don't you come with us? Take your mind off your parents… I'll take care of you, Xuen…_  
Xuen: _I… You aren't from here? Where are you from?_  
Razor *in Xeelix*: __I'm from… well, I guess you could say another dimension…  
Xuen: _Another dimension?_  
Razor *in Xeelix*: __Long story, but you'll see what I mean if you just come with us…  
  
*Xuen nodded, and Razor struggled to his feet, making his way back up the fire escape. As he got onto the first landing of the escape, he saw Xuen climbing through the air, and by the time Razor was on the second landing, Xuen was on the roof, and Razor could only hope that his friends weren't overzealous and attacked the kid. After a little more distance, Razor got to the top, seeing a confused Xuen and a defensive Jade, Blitz, Diane, and Sephrinia. Razor got up to the roof, and stood beside Xuen.*  
  
Razor *in English*: Don't worry, he's a nice kid…  
  
*Razor got several confused looks from the group, and he chuckled. Razor jumped the chasm he had just been down inside, and his broken leg's knee caught the edge, and he tumbled over with a soft cry. Razor saw Xuen land effortlessly on the building, several feet in front of him, and soon the rest of the group was there. Jade had to help him to his feet again, and Razor sighed, limping over to the other edge of the building. The gates were half a mile to one side, and he shrugged, looking over the edge. It was at least a thirty foot drop, and he gulped, jumping off his good foot and clearing the boundary. As he neared the ground, Razor winced, putting his broken leg down first and immediately collapsing to the ground. He still had a quarter mile to walk before the subway stairs, and he cried out in frustration. He had gotten out of Hell, but he now had to go a distance that seemed impossible to him now. Razor saw Xuen glide down beside him, and this time it was the demon child that helped him up, as Jade and the rest of the group took their own leaps of faith. As they landed, Razor limped on, heading off to the stairs up.*  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: "Subway" Stairs  
Time: 7:30 PM  
  
*Razor could see the light at the top, but it was still a long ways off, only a speck. Razor's vision suddenly tunneled, and he crouched onto the ground, kneeling on the steps.*  
  
Jade: Razor, are you okay?  
  
*Razor nodded, and immediately lost consciousness.*  
  
_*Jade saw Razor fall onto the steps, and picked him up gingerly, carrying him up the steps. Blitz looked at Razor with a certain pity, and looked at Jade.*  
  
Blitz: Will he be okay?  
Jade: I don't know… I hope so…  
  
*Xuen seemed about as concerned, but generally the group was otherwise silent. They soon emerged from the stairs.*_  
  
Location: Spiritis  
Time: 8:30 PM  
  
_*As the group got to the surface, Jade set Razor down. As she set him down, she saw Kyria not too far away. She shrugged, turning her attention to Razor, trying to figure out how to revive him. Streak looked over her shoulder, and smiled.*  
  
Streak: I'll go get some water…  
  
*Jade nodded, and looked back at Kyria, jumping slightly when she was right in front of her, closer than she expected. Jade chuckled slightly, and Kyria took Razor in her arms.*  
  
Jade: Will he be okay?  
Kyria *with a wink*: …Of course he will be… I wouldn't let him die…_*  
\\\\\\\\______////////\\//\\//\\//\\|||||||\\\///////\\\\\/////\\\///\\\////\\\\_______\\\///////\\\\\/////\\\///\\\  
_Voice: Roi? Roi………_  
  
*Razor stirred, and looked about him, seeing white almost completely around him. He jumped, then winced in pain. He felt part of the white gently brush against his back, and he looked up. He saw the white silhouette of a woman's face looking down at him, and would have pulled away if he didn't feel… alarmingly comfortable despite his wounds. He saw her smile, and gently turned him over. Razor winced slightly, and watched as she leaned over to pick something up. It was in a water bottle, but the liquid inside was not water. It was whiter than milk, and even held an almost… glow to it. Kyria pulled it close to him, and as she got it near his lips, Razor pulled away from it instinctively.*  
  
_Kyria___: Roi… you need something to drink…  
Razor: I'm perfectly capable of taking it…  
  
*Razor knew he couldn't, but tried anyway to move the arm that held a compound fracture, wincing before it had moved any more than an inch. Kyria shook her head.*  
  
_Kyria___: Now isn't the time to be proud, Roi… come on now… let me help you…  
  
*Razor looked about, and managed to get a glimpse of Xuen, who was still sobbing, but looked at Kyria with a curiosity. He saw Xuen come over to Kyria, sit beside her, and hug her, continuing to cry. Razor looked at him confusedly, but Kyria just smiled, hugging him back with one of her wings. She turned her attention back to Razor, however, who let her help him drink. As soon as the liquid hit his tongue, Razor fell almost completely limp by the taste; it was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted, and yet it was somehow light, as opposed to rich as it really tasted as though it should. As the feeling dwindled, Razor put his lips back to the bottle and continued drinking. By the time Razor pulled away, the bottle was almost entirely empty, and Kyria grinned, letting him finish. Kyria stroked his head gently, and Razor immediately felt the burnt skin she touched revitalize. She touched his fractured arm, and it straightened, the bone healing. Razor blinked wearily, feeling more serene than he had ever felt. As she ran her hand over one of his quills, he slowly drifted into a deep sleep, just as Streak was coming back. Streak started to throw the water on him, but stopped as he saw Kyria there. She rubbed Razor's crushed hand, and it too healed, releasing the quarterstaff to the ground.*  
  
Location: Spiritis  
Time: 5:30 AM  
  
*Razor awoke, feeling quite re-energized, even though the sun wasn't even up yet. His body felt fit as it was before the journey. He started to get up, but suddenly felt her wing behind him. She looked down at him, and raised an eyebrow in confusion and hurt.*  
  
_Kyria___: Why are you in such a hurry to get away from me?  
  
*Razor stopped cold. He realized he had no real reason except his fear, and started stammering.*  
  
Razor: I… I am not in a r-real h-hurr-ry… I-I-I'm j-jus—  
_Kyria___: Relax, Roi… You act like I'll hurt you if I don't like what I hear…  
  
*Razor sighed, and tried to continue.*  
  
Razor: I'm… just… up… and I didn't mean. To fall asleep on you to begin with… I…  
  
*Razor smiled as he felt her hand stroke his head again, then down the quills on his back. His muscles relaxed as she pet him, and soon he found his eyes getting heavy again. It wasn't long before he fell back asleep in Kyria's arms.*  
  
Location: Spiritis  
Time: 11:00 AM  
  
*When Razor stirred again, he could feel Kyria still petting him. He started to stand, but found that he couldn't really move, for his muscles had not enough tension in them to do so. He was limp as a rag doll, and he was glad. He managed to look up at the sky, and noticed that most of his friends had been watching him sleep. He could tell Stryke was thinking about making a comment, but he just shrugged weakly, his "paralysis" slowly lifting. After a few moments, Kyria gave him a small kiss on the forehead.*  
  
_Kyria___: I hate to leave, but I must…  
  
*Razor nodded wearily, but his eyes suddenly drew back, as if straining back tears.*  
  
Razor: …Take me with you…  
  
*Kyria looked down at him softly, and Razor could feel sadness from her, as well as see it.*  
  
_Kyria___: You have no idea how much I wish I could… But I can't, hon… Don't worry… I'll always be looking over you… I really do wish I could… reunite you with your family now… But it isn't your time yet…  
  
*Razor nodded, and she kissed him on the forehead again, standing up. She helped Razor stand, vanishing from sight. Razor sighed happily, and walked away from Hell, searching for a portal out of Spiritis.*  
  
_


	35. Finale

Location: Mysin  
Time: 12:30 PM  
  
*Razor looked around through the forest, smiling at the sight of it. Blitz looked about, and looked at Razor, confused.*  
  
Blitz: _Where are we?_  
Razor: We are in Mysin.  
Jade: Why?  
Razor: I want to get away from the cities for a little bit… just sit… relax… try to forget.  
  
*Jade, Blitz, and Sephrinia nodded, and the group walked off, into the forest. Razor's eyes stayed almost closed, in a relaxed narrowing that spoke of a tensionless state. As he walked, he looked around, and stopped suddenly as he found himself looking at an… actually kind of small-for-a dragon… Razor backed slightly, then started hearing soft, constant chatter, and he knew it to be Aita. Razor walked around the side of the sleeping dragon, and started to chuckle as he saw the sight before him: a discolored Shade, Tesai, and Misty making grabs at the two hapless fairies. Razor looked at them with an amused look on his face.*  
  
Razor: What brings this trio to Mysin? *looking at dragon* And who's this?  
Shade: That's Rairin…  
Razor: Ah…  
  
*Razor went over to the dragon warily; it seemed friendly. He gently patted the dragon's giant snout, and it stayed quiet for a few moments. Suddenly, the dragon gave an ear-shattering roar, and Razor stumbled back from the sound, shaking slightly as he saw the dragon's glistening teeth, laced with electricity. Shade chuckled softly to himself, but Razor couldn't really hear it. Razor rolled away, but Rairin just lay back down. Razor looked over, and remembered the colors.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _I can fix that… just need to get…  
_  
*Something caught Razor's eye, and he stood, mouth agape as he saw the colors already draining back to normal. Sephrinia looked at him, staying mostly fuchsia, but slight green streaks going through.*  
  
Sephrinia *slightly nervously*: _How did you do that?_  
Razor: I… I don't know…  
  
*Shade looked at his arm, and smiled. Aita groaned in a sort of joking frustration. Razor smiled, and settled down over by a nearby tree, meditating.*   
~~~~~~  
Location: Mysin  
Time: 11:30 AM  
  
*As Razor awoke, he felt something in his palm. He looked inside, and saw a small gem, pulsating white. It was about half an inch in diameter, and Razor tried to figure out its origin. As he turned it over in his hand, he saw Stryke awake. He walked over to him, and looked back at the gem.*  
  
Razor: Hey man, you know what this is?  
Stryke: Yeah, the guy called it a soundstone… I got it for you…  
Razor: Oh… well, thanks man…  
  
*Razor turned around, and looked at his quarterstaff. He went over, picked it up, and flipped it over, his eyes widening as he found a place to insert precious stones such as these. He put the stone in, and suddenly the quarterstaff was bursting with a second, pulsing white light; radiating potential sound. Razor smiled, and tried to pull the gem back out of the holder, successfully removing it. He put it inside his backpack, smiling as he saw how small it looked next to the Chaos Emerald. He looked over, and saw Tesai and Shade just beginning to stir. He saw Aita and Razzly zoom toward each other, stopping just in time, bubbling happily.*  
  
Aita: HeyRazzlygoodmorningisn'tititsbeautiful—  
Razzly: YeahIknowitisabeautifulmorningandI'mreadytotakeadvantageofit—  
Aita: YeahyeahIknowitsthekinda…  
  
*As they continued in this fashion, Razor sighed, exasperated. He couldn't hear his own thoughts. He tried, but he just couldn't hear himself. He looked over and saw Tesai, Misty, and Shade shaking their heads, and Razor smiled a fake smile as they came over, Razzly and Aita following. They continued to talk, and Razor tried to get their attention. Soon they were somewhat listening.*  
  
Razor: Could you please take it down a notch? I can't hear myself thin—  
Aita: ThinkwhatareyouthinkingaboutRazoryournext—  
Razor: You don't need to know what I'm—  
  
*Razor gave up as he heard her just continue talking, and sighed. He bowed his head.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Please… just silence… silence…_  
  
*Razor suddenly felt a pulse leave his body, and he looked up to see a white band flowing along the ground, quickly making an outline of a circle on the ground. Razor was the center of the circle, and there was ten feet in front and behind Razor within the circle. Razor suddenly felt deaf. He couldn't hear a thing, and he welcomed the silence. Razor looked up after a moment, and saw a relieved Tesai, Shade, and Misty sitting within the circle. Razor smiled as he saw Rairin awaken. Apparently the fairies began to get on his nerves, for he moved his head within the circle, lying down with a content smile. Razor breathed a sigh, and closed his eyes in meditation.*  
  
Razor *thinking*: _Where is this new divinity coming from?_  
_Agate: Isn't it obvious? I am now you and yours, Roi. Your power to control. I have always been with you as this, but it was Kyria which opened this door between us. At your service._  
  
*Razor smiled, and continued his meditation.*


	36. Epilogue

Location: Cosmic Interstate  
Time: ???  
  
*Razor smiled as he walked down the Interstate, headed toward Pice. Stryke and Jade had gone in their own direction, and Sephrinia suddenly stopped.*  
  
Sephrinia *pointing*: _Isn't Quantum… that way?_  
Razor: Yeah, but I thought I'd just dro—  
  
Sephrinia: _Drop me off? Why? I… I want to stay with you Roi…_  
Razor: But your parents must miss you…  
Sephrinia: _I don't know… I want to just leave that part of my life behind…_  
Razor: Why? Has it been that awful up until now?  
Sephrinia: _No… but… I don't know… I just feel like me and you should stay together, Roi…_  
Razor: I'd still feel better if you at least bid your parents a farewell.  
Sephrinia: _They've probably already assumed me dead._  
Razor: So? There is bound to be much rejoicing when they find you alive then.  
Sephrinia: _… Roi?_  
Razor: Yes?  
Sephrinia: _… can I ask you something?_  
Razor: Of course.  
Sephrinia: _Is it wrong to want to start a new life free of old bounds?_  
Razor: …No… but I don't want to always be wondering if your parents are sitting somewhere, crying because you're missing, maybe dead.  
Sephrinia: _So all you are asking is that I say goodbye to them?_  
Razor: Yes.  
Sephrinia: _Oh. Okay then, let's go._  
  
*Razor nodded, and kept going to Pice. As he got to the portal, he hopped through with Xuen and his hellhound, and Sephrinia.*  
  
Location: Pice  
Time: 1:00 PM  
  
*Razor smiled as he saw the usual setting. He headed immediately to the Rugal Inn, Xuen having to pick the hellhound up to keep everyone in pace. Razor grimaced as he remembered Xuen's race, and grimaced again as he heard several soft hushed cries. Xuen hid beside Razor as he heard the cries, seeking refuge near the wall. Razor smiled, heading into the inn.*  
  
Location: Rugal Inn  
Time: 1:30 PM  
  
*Razor smiled as he saw a depressed father working the front desk. As he looked up at Razor, he jumped when he saw Xuen, his jaw dropping as he saw Sephrinia. His jaw collected itself, and his eyes suddenly narrowed.*  
  
Ganette: _Sephrinia… where have you been?_  
Sephrinia:_]Dad__, you should have seen it! It was amazing! I've been all over the universe and I like what I see… Actually, I just came back to say goodbye…  
Ganette: _Goodbye? Goodbye. Listen to me Sephrinia, I don't know where he took you, but he probably only took you to the few safer ones out there. Its too dangerous—_  
Sephrinia: Dad, he took me to Hell, and I survived, name me one place that's more dangerous than that!  
Ganette *turning to Razor*: __He… **what!?**  
Razor: Sir, I—  
Ganette: _Save it, Roi… I had great respect for you, I thought you would know better than to let her go down there!  
_Razor: I tried to keep her up… I tried my hardest… but she wouldn't let me go without her. She was safe, though… impervious to the black magic…  
Ganette: _You can't be serious… you've got to be kidding… you didn't take her down there…_  
Razor: No, actually, I did…  
Ganette: _At least it explains away the demon… but aren't you afraid that… I don't know… his parents…?_  
Razor: His parents are dead…  
Ganette: _Ah, well then…_  
Sephrinia *blue*: _Bye dad… I'm not sure if we'll meet again._  
Ganette: _Hold it… you aren't going back out, I already lost you on—_  
Sephrinia *silver*: _Dad, I'm a grown woman for Christ's sake! Let me make my own decisions for once!_  
  
*Her father sighed, and waved them away. Razor left the hotel, finding a portal back to the Cosmic Interstate. As they got near there, Razor heard a stern voice behind him. Razor turned and saw a blue panther standing angrily, holding a halberd over his shoulder, a cross in the other hand. It also had a cross necklace on, and Razor sighed. Xuen cocked his head at the panther, confused.*  
  
Panther: _Ne'er again will you taint our atmosphere… Die!  
_  
*Xuen saw the panther put the cross away, putting his now-freed hand on the halberd, stabbing it forward to Xuen, who cried out as he dodged to one side, hiding behind Razor. As the panther tried to maneuver around, Razor lunged forward, grabbing the halberd on the handle and pulling, freeing it from the panther's grip.*  
  
Razor: You leave him alone, he hasn't done anything!  
  
*The panther scowled at Razor, but otherwise just picked up the halberd and walked away. Razor turned around, and headed into the portal to the Cosmic Interstate, Sephrinia, Xuen, and his hellhound following.*  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Location: Dallas, TX  
Time: 1:00 AM  
  
*As Razor arrived in Quantum, he headed over to his mailbox. It had only a letter in it, and he opened it, seeing a check and a note inside of it. The check was written to him, for the amount of $700. Razor smiled, and read the note, seeing the 411VM watermark in the top left hand corner. He started reading.*  
  
_Dear Roi:  
So you are informed, you will receive 1% of the sales of the video. I'm not sure if you were told that, so I thought I'd tell you.  
Spike  
  
*Razor nodded, and continued into the old hero base._ As they got inside, he saw what he expected to; nothing. Nothing except his old bed, which they didn't bother packing up to leave. He looked at the empty light sockets all about, and smiled, watching as each of the light sockets spontaneously caught a white glow. He looked back at Sephrinia, who yawned, and motioned to his bed. She smiled, nodded, and got into his bed, and he bid her goodnight. He walked back out, and tried to find a place for Xuen. Some remnants of metal scrap were around, and Razor sighed, going to it and picking it up in his arms. He wondered if it would work for a moment, and suddenly felt warmth around his arms. He looked down, and saw the metal softening and becoming more and more comfortable. Razor set it down, and pushed it. The metal was soft as down, and he chuckled to himself, giving the metal sheets to Xuen and bedding him down in one of the few carpeted rooms. Razor bid him good night, and headed back to the room where Sephrinia was bedded. He went to the next room, and lied on the cold floor, drifting to sleep, warmth washing over him.*  
  
_Agate: Sleep tight…_  
  
~~~~~~~~  
Location: Dallas, TX: Old Hero Base  
Time: 10:00 AM  
  
*Razor awoke, and sighed happily, looking around in a still trance-like state. He noticed something, and frowned, looking about. He couldn't find the staff.*  
  
Razor *to self*: No, where is it… oh… if she finds out I lost it…  
  
*Razor came out of the room, and stopped as he saw Sephrinia, sparring the air with the quarterstaff. Razor breathed a sigh of relief, and watched her. Her form with the staff wasn't bad. After a few moments, she had turned to face him, and stopped.*  
  
Sephrinia: _Good morning._  
Razor: Good morning.  
  
*After a few moments of silence, Sephrinia started to spar the air again, but Razor interrupted.*  
  
Razor: Do you know if Xuen is up yet?  
Sephrinia *shrugging*: _I'd assume._  
  
*Razor nodded, and started down the hall. As he walked, his cell started ringing, and he pulled it from his backpack, gently stroking Ollie as he landed on his shoulder.*  
  
Razor: Hello?  
FTM: Hey, you picked up this time.  
Razor: Sorry… I probably didn't get the other calls.  
FTM: It's no big deal… but… where were you?  
Razor: Trust me… you wouldn't believe me if I told you.  
FTM *chuckling*: I'll take your word for it… Hey, are you free tomorrow?  
Razor: Yeah…  
FTM: Could you get to Ventura, California by 3:00 PM tomorrow?  
Razor: Yeah…  
FTM: Ready for competition?  
Razor: That depends, do you have two tickets?  
FTM: I think I can get something for you… I'm fairly sure this one isn't a sellout… kind of small competition… gold only fetches about $1,000, but most pros start out on a competition like it.  
Razor: Great. Um… You're talking about Skatestreet, aren't you?  
FTM: Sure am… Oh, and by the way, your inkblot idea… we think we're going to do it. What colors would you want?  
Razor: Blue backdrop to a white blot.  
FTM *chuckling*: I could have guessed that… well, I'm looking at Ticketmaster, ordered you two tickets. Skatestreet is selling the tickets, so you can just pick them up when you get there… what are the two tickets for, anyhow?  
Razor: I'm bringing a couple new friends.  
FTM: Okay… well, see you tomorrow.  
Razor: Later.  
  
*Razor hung up the phone, tossing it into his backpack. He continued down the hall, and saw Xuen in his room, playing with the hellhound, which swatted around playfully at his trailing hand. Razor chuckled slightly as it attacked Xuen's hand, and raised an eyebrow as he noticed a burn mark on Xuen where the bite was. Razor shrugged it off, half expecting something peculiar, and was somewhat glad to find it out. Razor sighed, and spoke.*  
  
Razor: I'm going to go skate, so… just hang here with Sephrinia for a little while.  
  
*Xuen nodded, and Razor headed back, telling Sephrinia the same thing, and walking out to the street, stepping on his board, readying himself for tomorrow's competition.*  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, there it is, the first Fanfiction of Razor's saga. This is merely part one of what should prove to be a series of at least three stories. Please feel free to continue to review this, I would really like to hear some feedback from people now that this is complete._


End file.
